


Sleeping with ghosts

by francoantoniohierro



Series: Love will scares us apart [2]
Category: Frank Iero and the Patience, MCR - Fandom, My Chemical Romance, Pencey Prep
Genre: Demons, Hunters, M/M, Top!Frank, Witches, bottom!Gerard, lil bitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-08-01 08:43:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/francoantoniohierro/pseuds/francoantoniohierro
Summary: PART II of In flamezesz! Don't recommend reading without reading the first part :) this is a halloween fic series i started a year ago <3





	1. Sleeping with ghouls

**Author's Note:**

> idk if after this i should do The outsiders (Il m'oubliera) or Make You Cry About It or those Careful/Careless fic things i do... idk. open to suggestions, of course its gonna take me a while because this fic is my priority rn. comments are very welcome cause i like knowing what people think about the fics and they make me want to be more active :))

PART II.

1

The room felt colder. It was a similar sensation than the one the house had. But something was different. This was icy. As if the bar had suddenly turned into a huge fridge. And the miserable people there were the midnight snack. The feeling went all the way to my bones.

Why?

Because there was something awful. And it was right there. An instinct in my stomach was telling me to run. I felt less and less safe there. But I didn’t want to move. I didn’t care by that point of the night. But my god, I could tell something was wrong. But my heart had given up by that point.

It was there. Right there.

That darkness was there. That coldness. That bad feelings. All that hatred that suddenly erratic in the room. It had a form. And it was the blonde man sitting down next to me.

“I know who you are.”

I know what you are.

“You look disappointed”

“Yeah. I don’t know. Vampire guy was cuter” And I just took another drink. This was my life now. Or what was left of it at least. “Hmmm”

“I was in a bit of a hurry to get here.”  
He explained.

“What was so important?”  
Was all I could ask, but my mind already knew the answer.

“You.”

“Hmmm”

Drink.

“Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with you.” His eyes turned black. Completely black. It gave me goosebumps “This is all about Gerard. You know this is all about Gerard. Don’t you? He’s the one I’m trying to get to”

Of course. I was merely a pawn. This creature didn’t care about me. It was about someone else. Someone in this world who mattered. Not me. No, of course not me. I’m nothing. Even in the world of the supernatural and the undead, I was a motherfucking loser.

“There's not much I can tell you. We’ve only talked a handful of times”

It was true to an extent. And it hurt. But I wasn’t stupid enough to see it as something else. At least not anymore.

“But you and he have a bit of a history now, right?”

“I wouldn’t go that far” Was what quickly came out of my mouth. No way. His question made me take the situation more seriously “How did you know about me? How did you find me? Do your kind just...  _Know_ … everything?”

“We know most things. Human minds are easy to persuade. I can tell your entire lifetime just from looking at those eyes of yours.” He made me nervously look to the other side for one second.” If there's one thing that’s tricky is that we don’t know the future. So, lottery tickets are a no go.”

Even after the explanation I was still a little confused. If humans were that stupid, then he could easily go after Gerard. But he wasn’t. Why? What was the difference? And most importantly:  
“How? How can you just  _know?_ ”

“The human mind isn’t particularly complicated. I know what your mind lets me know.”  
He repeats.

It made me feel even worse. It could be the alcohol sure. But I knew better. My depressed brain was probably more susceptible to these kinds of things. He knew because I let him know. He knew because maybe I knew it was going to get me killed and my mind was fine with it. My stupid sabotaging head.

“My brain is snitching on me then? Alright”  
Another drink.

“It was Mikey’s, actually.”

Not Gerard then. He must not be thinking about me at all. Of course, he’s not. Fuckin’ Mikey cares more about me than him apparently. How lucky am i. The nerdy brother cares about me, dear god.

“What do you want from me?”

There was already an answer in my head. SOUL. This guy wants the only thing I have of some value. And if I don’t give it to him, he’s going to kill me. That had to be it. But the creature said something else.

“Franklin. Can I call you Franklin?” The idea was so terrible I started shaking my head immediately. He continued “Okay then Franklin. You see, Gerard’s not a very reliable friend. I wanna catch up with him, I do. But I know that the moment I get near him he’ll throw holy water at me. Start speaking in Latin and all that stuff. I don’t want that drama”

“Then you shouldn’t have come to this town. When he finds you, he’ll kill you.”  
Was what I said. I tried my best to keep my voice serious and I tried really hard to look straight into his eyes while I said it.

“Tell me about it!” The creature was no stranger to death or to pain. He laughed at my words as if they meant nothing. “He doesn’t have to find me. That’s what you’re for”

“Why me?”

“You’re a link to him”

“And Mikey isn’t?”

“You don’t know what he’s like.” He sighed in annoyance. Probably would have rolled his eyes if he could have. Clearly he was a little too familiar with this topic “You mess with Mikey just a little and he jumps and sends you to hell. He wouldn’t allow any of it. They’re always together for a reason”

“What about his friends?”

“There aren’t any friends to contact. Unless you count the people on his computer. But I don’t mess with that stuff. I don’t get it, honestly. This is much easier for me. Taking over the body of a guy named Adam while he was at the gas station thinking about committing suicide. Talking to miserable fucks like you at bars when they’re the most vulnerable. That’s my scene.”

“There has to be … literally anyone else.” I said, trying to ignore his final sentences “That isn’t me. We’re not that close.”

“I mean…”

“We’re not! He’s… no one.”

But my god, I wish I was someone. Someone to  **him**. Someone he cared about. Someone he wouldn’t lie to and left celebrating his birthday on his own. Someone who he could actually get feelings for. Was it my hair? Was it my style? My tattoos? It had to be something. Though it was clear to me, I was: NO ONE.

“Just so you know Franklin… And it’s not that it's any of my business, of course… All of Gerard’s ex boyfriends are dead. And so are all of his friends. There aren’t any other links right now. There haven’t been links in a long time. Just you.”

Another drink

“Hmmm”

That was indeed a good thing to know. It made sense with what Gerard had told me about messing with the supernatural world.

“I’m not going to ask for your soul. I don’t want it.” He made a face in disgust, as if my soul was worth less than a nickel to him “I want to make a different type of deal with you”

“You want Gerard’s” Then I took another drink “Whatever”

“Does it matter? I can give you something you want now. Tomorrow you give me something I want. As fair as it gets, Frank” Finally. He stopped calling me that stupid Franklin shit. “And no, I don’t want Gerard’s soul. Or Mikey's. They are of no use to me”

“So, no souls involved?”  
Now I was really listening.

“No souls. That’s a promise.”  
The creature inhabiting Adam said.

So, then there was not much to lose. Other than all of my loyalty as a friend of the Way brother’s, of course. But did I care that much about it? Did I really? Nah.

“What kind of favor are we talking about? What do  _you_  get out of this?”

“You’ll know when the time is right.”  
He smiled, as if it was an obvious assumption to make.

Clearly, he had done this deal to thousands, maybe millions of people. For how long had he been on earth? Or existing? It felt strange to ask. He eradiated so much power. My voice could respond to his questions, but I wasn’t so sure about keep asking my own anymore. He didn't seem to want to kill me. So, I shouldn’t be giving him any, but….

“Then it isn’t fair game. It's a gamble.”

“I think it's more fun that way, Franklin.”

That was all he said. He shrugged his arms. Like it was nothing to him. Black magic and soul talk was a thing of everyday to that creature. Oh, he just smiled. With those yellow crooked teeth. Adam had to be a classic smoker. Maybe I should say Adams corpse anyway.

The room still felt cold as ever. And now my hands were shaking.

If I said no, my life was gonna end right there and then. If I said yes, I was gonna betray the people that helped me when no one else could. If I said no, I died at 25, jobless and without a single worth to the world. If I said yes, I was gonna put Gerard in danger.

And I honestly didn't know if I liked Gerard or not.

But one thing is certain. The brain always holds on to life. And that night I was drunk, depressed and alone. But I still held on to life.

It was just like six months ago. I got to the top of a tall building. And I was standing right on the edge of it for what felt like hours. Regardless of how jaded I felt, I couldn’t do it. My feet would at times move, dance with the air, but it always came back to the edge. Cause somehow, some tiny part of my brain still held on to life. Some stupid part of me wanted to keep the suffering going.

And even after so much alcohol, that part of me was still awake.  _My life is worth more than Gerard’s, fuck. This is not how I die. No way..._

“So... What am I getting?”

“Tell me. There are plenty of things you want. What’s the main one?”

“Friends. I want friends” Then I had to clarify. “Bring my gang back together. I want the band back. And this time, we won’t suck at it.” He looked up and started getting more passionate “We’ll be good, and people will like our music. I’ll make fuckin money, okay!? Momma's gonna love it. I'm not gonna be begging for cash every time the bills come. Everything is just gonna be fine. With all my friends, my guitar, and enough cash.”

That's what happiness is anyway, isn't it? Money and a few people to trust. Nothing else nothing more.

“Is that all?”

The creature looked bored already. My human worries were nothing to him. He wanted Gerard and that was it.

“Like, won’t be broke every fuckin’ time we go out. I want to get paid good. No bullshit. We’re going to play, and it has to be worth it too. And I want people to want me to play music too. I want people to give a shit. Cause I care about my music. I care a lot.”

“You done with that?”  
He was smiling again but seemed to be over it already. My behavior was probably as predictable as ever.

“No! I want… I want Matt to stop drinking so much too. And I want a nice apartment. One that isn’t filled with junkies.”

And look, the nice apartment one wasn't because I wanted fancy shit or something. I just wanted to stop having to carry a knife everywhere. And maybe own a dog. That was all. It didn't have to be anything extraordinary. Something that was better than the shithole I lived in, that was all. I know that might be asking for a lot in New Jersey, but I was still going to try it.

“Sure, sure”

“I want the ring too. I know you have it”

“This one?”  
The man pulled the small artefact from his pocket.

“Yeah.”  
I pulled it right out of the demons’ hands. I didn’t care. Sure, I could get killed right there and then, but whatever. It was one of those moments where my brain and logic just kinda shut down.

“All yours.”

He extended his hand, waiting for me to shake it. And he gave me a smile so evil that I still can’t forget it.

But I did shake his hand, almost immediately. His body was ice cold and I had to pull back my hand almost instantly at the sensation. This creature was not alive... Either way, it was done. It was done.

“What do you get?”  
I tried again.

“Like I said, I don’t know the future. When it's the right time, I’ll know. And you’ll know”

The answer was as vague as ever. But it only made me want to seal the deal even more. I didn’t want the details. They would bother me too much. All I wanted was the summary.

“Are you gonna kill him?”

“Would that bother you?”

“I don't know. I hardly know the guy…” I said, lying to myself for some stupid reason “But I am human after all, I don’t want the guy to die”

“Then you have nothing to worry about”

“He lives?”

“He lives”  
And then he blinked with his right eye. As if some bizarre way I was gonna get the message.

But I absolutely did not. Now I was finally starting to feel real uncomfortable. It didn't feel right. Maybe it wasn't a good idea…maybe I needed to really think of what this shit could get me into.

Before I could say something else, the other figure was gone.

The room was different now. It felt like a storm had ended. The atmosphere the creature had created was gone. The anxiety was still in my stomach though. And my throat felt like it was shrinking and shrinking.

So, I kept drinking.

By the end of the night, they had to call me a cab. Might have puked on the poor guys seat. As soon as my feet were home I fell the fuck asleep. Didn't make it to my bedroom. Slept on the couch. Sort of. Half my body was on the floor, half on the seats. Like I fell at some point but somehow got enough energy to stop from ending up on the floor.

I knew I looked like shit. And the thing was, I somehow felt even worse.

2

When I woke up, my mother was in my apartment. Going through my stuff of course. All I could do was groan. I was too fucked up to do something about it.

Once I had a cup of coffee and felt a little better, we talked about something I would have never guessed. She explained to me that dad was going on a trip to a different city. Now, in a normal universe I wouldn’t have given a shit. But this was a different kind of reality, clearly. She told me dad had asked  _specifically_  for me to look over his apartment while he was gone.

“It's gonna teach you some responsibility. It's a big place, so you have a lot to take care of”  
She explained. “You could get a pet or something too. Learn to take care of others and then of yourself”

It had to be a dream. All of it. Every single part of it.

Like, my dad’s apartment. The one that’s huge and is in the nice part of town. That apartment. The one where the landlord doesn’t steal 20$ from your coffee table every time he can. Or eats your food. Or asks you to borrow money...

When I reached the apartment complex and I still hadn't woken up, I knew something was up. Things were bad. Like really really bad. Part of me wanted to believe that it all was the booze, and that there was no way it actually happened. I was not that stupid, was I?

I didn't unpack anything. I dumped everything on the living room and laid on the couch, thinking it would somehow fix something. Wanting to forget where I was. And most importantly, why I was there. _You did this to yourself._ I couldn’t get that bad feeling away from me. Having a new apartment didn’t feel like a good thing now, the place felt tainted. By something that I couldn’t even explain yet.

My phone started ringing. Like, right as I was about to close my eyes and go for a nap. As if someone had been watching and knew that I was about to put down the phone. And fuck, I did feel watched. Ever since I had woken up on that cold morning, there was a strange feeling.... Like someone was preying on me.

The voice in the phone didn't surprise me whatsoever. Something was up. Apparently, the band was getting booked for a pretty big venue. And Matt thought it could be good for the band to do it.

Our band. The one that broke up a long time ago.

**That** band. People suddenly wanted us to play gigs.

There was money on the line, so everyone was fine with playing a few more shows. The only person that was hesitant about it (according to Matt, anyway) was Ray. But he ended up saying yes anyway.

Of course, he did.

That’s what he’s supposed to do.

“He only asked for one thing...” Matt said on the other line. “And one thing only”

“I’m listening”

“He says he's not quitting his job this time”  
He warned, before starting to laugh.

During our teen years, there was a point where we got attention from a semi popular record label. We all got excited about it. But Bob quit his job immediately. It was a half time thing where he served fries and burgers, but it meant a lot to him at 17. So, when the record label then decided not to call us back, it became an inside joke between the band. It basically reminded us a fun story but also that it was  **never**  going to be the day time job.

“Well he's missing out”

Matt laughed harder from the other side of the phone. But I wasn’t kidding. Oh god, I was not fuckin kidding. I could tell that new and bigger things were gonna come for the band. Because that’s exactly what was asked for. And so far, the creature had not failed whatsoever. In the end...

We made good money the night of the show. But there was one thing….

The gig was packed with teenagers.

Now, as a former teenager, I can easily say that teenagers fucking suck. And that they really weren't the target for our music. We played small bars for divorced alcoholics. But now we were at a “nice” venue. Where people don't steal shit and there aren't safety hazards everywhere you look. No, you couldn't have that here. Life's were actually valuable. The people there were y o u n g.

But like, annoyingly young.

I’m talking teenagers. Loud. Loud teenagers. Packing the entire place. Trying to touch us and shit. Not my type of crowd. Singing/Screaming at those kids felt embarrassing. If there was one time I got stage fright, it was every time one of them got a little too close. It wasn’t what I was there for. My job was playing the guitar, I was no motherfucking toy to play with.

And see, probably someone else would have lived for that shit. And throw themselves to the crowd. But I was not that person. I did not want my personal space invaded. I liked doing my own thing while people drank their hearts out. Do my own thing. It’s a personal space thing mostly, to be honest.

“Fucking hate you all”  
Was how I ended the show.

They yelled louder than they had during the entire show. It was the opposite of what I wanted. As if all they heard was “Gonna marry every single one of you all tonight”. They were going nuts. They thought it was some sort of game to me. But it wasn’t. Was this going to be my life now?

It made me get angrier. There was no fuckin encore. Left as soon as possible. Ray was calling for me to stay, but I left anyway. It was way too much, the huge crowd, the huge venue, the lights, the screaming, being in the spotlight. I wanted none of it. Especially not of teenagers. I was sick to my stomach. They were so stressful to be around.

Teenagers. Teenagers. At my show. Teenagers.

Absolutely disgusting.

Jesus.

Things only go down from here.

3

Matt drove me to my dad's place. He seemed more than satisfied with the way things turned out. He said we had other bookings and shit. The entire drive home I stayed quiet though. Now I wasn’t sure I wanted those bookings anymore. Not if they were for babysitting. Not if they were for getting harassed for two hours.

When I got to the apartment I only said:  
“We’ll see”

Then I waved goodbye.

Now, I’m not a popular person. And that’s fine. I don’t need to be. There’re a few people I like some that I hate, and I’m at peace with that. There aren’t any vacancies as far as my life goes. So, I was shocked when I checked my phone. And by shocked, I mean, half unsurprised half mortified. Thousands of notifications. Every fucking app had someone sending me messages.

All complete strangers. All my pictures went from having 3 likes (myself, bob, bob’s mom) to at least 1000 times that number. My inbox was filled with trash. And I don’t mean spam, I mean literal trash people who had somehow gotten my info.

It stressed me out even more. The phone was soon locked, and I was finally in bed. And yet...Of course I couldn’t sleep. Not after everything that had happened. Things were a huge fuckin mess. Things weren’t like I pictured it… How could I sleep knowing what I had done…? Knowing the Way brothers were probably going to get in trouble because of me?

Gerard specifically. Gerard was gonna get hurt.  _Oh well._

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

And I open my eyes again to look at the ceiling. Not working.

“Frank, you idiot.”

That voice. I could recognize it any day. But it simply couldn't be him. He couldn't be in my room. It was impossible. Absolutely impossible. So, I hid under my covers, shaking in fear. It couldn’t be. It had to be a nightmare. Everything had to be a bit fucking nightmare and I should wake up at any second.

“Didn’t you learn anything? Seriously?”

No. Not hearing anything. In fact, I was covering my ears with my hands. But soon he knocked the covers away from me. And I saw him. Even in the darkness of my bedroom, I could tell exactly who it was. It had to be him. My stomach dropped, then my entire body was paralyzed. I wanted to wake the fuck up. Nothing was happening. He was still there. WHY IS HE STILL HERE?

“No! This can't! You're not here! You're dead! Like really dead this time! You're not fucking here! “

“Stop yelling”  
He got closer, making it even more clear who it was.

**“YOU’RE DEAD!!”** **  
** Was all I could say. Nothing else popped into my brain. Just “DEAD!”. This guy is supposed to be dead.

“I was. Now I’m not.”

“No! No this isn’t happening.” Tears were already building up in my eyes “We fixed this!! We went to the house. I talked to your mother. I fucking fixed everything.”

It was true. So much work. All those times I almost died. All because I wanted him to rest. Things had to be  _fixed_. Gerard said so...

“Then you took twelve steps backwards!”  
He got even closer and I got a clearer view at him.

“Please leave. I can’t take this anymore. Just let me wake up!”  
I yelled and started whimpering in fear.

It was enough. My heart couldn’t take any more of it all. That had to be the worst day of my life so far. I had gotten every single thing I had asked for and I was absolutely fuckin miserable having them. Because it was wrong. Because I didn’t deserve them. Because instead of working I made a deal with a damn devil.

“Don’t be a bitch”  
Bob dearly said.

The lights on the bedroom were suddenly turned on.

He looked so bad. Taken straight from the grave. His eyes were red and swollen. His skin had a blue tint. And his clothes were ripped and covered in coagulated blood. He had cuts all over his face and hands. And there was a rupture on his shirt where I could see red, and an intestine trying really badly to escape. He was barefoot, his feet were still covered in dirt from wherever the hell he crawled from. It was so bad. Things were so bad.

**“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FUUUUCKK!” YOU’RE UGLY!!!!!!!!!** ”

“Oh no, don’t start!” He says, and I back down a notch “You did this shit man. I was fine not existing.”  
He pointed at me with one of those purple fingers and I wanted to gag all over my covers. It was the worst thing that could have happened.

“What did I do this time?”

“You said you wanted the gang back together. The gang is back”

“You mean….”

It all started making sense. The band was supposed to get back together. The gang was supposed to get back together. Everyone. Even the ones who were gone for good. That was screwed up.

“Yes”

“Oh fuck”

All I could do was hide my eyes with my hands and yell as humanly possible.

“Yes”  
He repeated.

Things couldn't get any worse. I fell for it. I fell straight into that thing’s trap. He had done it. I was officially going to lose my fucking mind. Oh god, he played me so good. No wait, I was a fucking idiot actually. The dumbest fucking guy in town.

“Oh, fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. How do I fix this ahhhhhh”  
Rushed I got up from the bed.

Now I was walking in circles around the room. Trying my hardest not to look at my undead friend. Who was very much standing up in the same room as me, even though he was killed weeks before.

“This is the part where you call Gerard”

“NO! We don't need him!” I bit my lip and tried to think of someone else. Anyone else. My eyes drifted back to Bob’s corpse “I can see your intestines, can you put on a hoodie or something man, I can't focus when I’m… when I’M SEEING YOUR GODDAMN INTESTINES.”

It made me realize something. This fucking guy had gotten blood all over the floor. Everywhere. Because of course he did. Because that’s humanly impossible for a corpse to do and this thing wasn’t a corpse and it wasn’t alive either. So I got the two of both words. The blood everywhere in the apartment plus the creepy image of my dead friend. That demon really did think things through.

“You can’t play with this shit frank. You don’t belong in it. Call  _him_ ”

It had to be dream. Bob could not be dead. Bob could not be talking about Gerard. Gerard could not be a psychic. It all had to be some weird fever dream. At some point, I was going to wake up in cold sweat and vomit all over myself. That had to be the only way. I shouldn’t even be talking to dream Bob at all. None of this is real, after all…Right...

“There HAS to be someone else.”

“Someone who isn’t you this time, please”  
He snapped back.

Just hearing his voice was enough to put me on the edge again. Because he couldn’t be there. It wasn’t fair. After all the pain I went through, he couldn’t be there again. God could not put a creature on earth three times in a row. It had to be the work of the de-

“SHut it! AHHHHHhhh! Let me think of something!!!!!!!”

No Gerard. No Gerard. Don’t call Gerard. Who else. Another group of hunters who are attractive and approachable. Not Gerard though…

“Frank, if you don't call them right now I’m gonna eat you, you know that right?”

4

“You what now?”

“Yeah man I don’t know, I like this spiritual shit. Let me get more into this stuff. I want to meet more people like you guys”

“For what?”

“Like! I don’t know! Can’t I make spooky friends too?”

_“FOR WHAT?”_  
Michael kept repeating. He seemed genuinely getting angrier. Perhaps it was the hour. Perhaps it was the nature of what I was asking for. Either way, he did not like it.

“I don’t know! Someone who has seen god! Or someone who can tell me what team is gonna win the Superbowl! Or both, whatever”  
Was all I could think of saying. My stupid brain couldn’t come up with anything non-stupid. It was too focused on panicking and screaming at itself. There was no time to do actual coherent thinking.

“Its 3 am”

“YOU don’t have a job”

“You don’t have a job either! I don’t get what you want. Like a priest? A witch? A demigod? A human 8 ball? Things don’t work that way, Frank. These issues are very serious. You can’t walk into a monster's house and expect them to be cool with you. They aren’t even cool with  _us_. We have an agreement. You have nothing of value to them.”

“A witch is fine, thank you”

Truly, I stopped listening after the witch part. It sounded rad. Everything else kinda fizzled out. And it seemed like the type of issue that a witch would know of. So I was fine with that.

“What the hell are you doing?”  
Bob leaned closer and whispered to me, then he pulled the phone away.

“I’m getting you out of here so shut it”  
Was what I whispered back before putting the phone back on my ear.

A witch it was. What could go wrong with a witch? Unless you were a baby or stranded in a forest, I mean. They knew about black magic and demons and they weren’t Gerard, so it was good enough for me. Maybe a witch could keep Bob dead for more than a month or so. At least I hoped.

“-responsibility. Plus, ehhhh- i’d have to train you a bit first. You can just go straight to her, she’ll fuck you over. Immediately. Maybe Gerard and I can -”

“JUST GIMME HER NUMBER, in case Indeed it. And we’ll train…. later… But give me her number”

“If you ask her who is going to win the Superbowl at 3 am, she’s gonna kill you”

“I'll see what I can do!”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

5

Next morning, the entire bedroom reeked of death. Bob slept on the tub, but somehow his smell had gotten in every corner of my life. And this germophobic heart couldn’t take it. It was like a nightmare come to life. Why couldn’t he become a vampire or something? Surely those guys didn’t smell like actual rotten meat.

“You up?”

“Unfortunately,”

Slowly, I started to rub my forehead. This had to be the worst possible outcome of anything ever. Going from broke and alone. To now having a godawful job and living with a half-eaten corpse. You can’t make this shit up. Only an absolute buffoon could have done this.

_This is what they were talking about. When they said you never get out of this lifestyle. This is exactly what they meant. Assholes._ It all made sense now. These creatures never leave you alone.

Should have stayed on that motherfucking car.

6

Music has been my life pretty much my entire life. There's no doubt about it. There never was. My mother knew exactly I wasn’t going to be in no office ever. My heart was in touring and playing guitar. Not in schedules and waking up early to read the paper. My body was made for waking up in the afternoon and play gigs half drunk and half asleep.

So why was I miserable?

Perhaps it was because we hadn’t played gigs in so long that I wasn’t comfortable performing. Perhaps the venues weren’t right. Perhaps the crowds were wrong for us. Perhaps I was getting older and we were doing too much. But something felt wrong. Perhaps it was the deal I made with a demon that kept me from being happy. Either way, things were wrong.

I was having no fun. In fact, my mind was focused on the monster living with. The one that had been eating red meat right before I left home. As in, bloody raw meat that only a homeless dog could stomach.

And then I saw him.

That familiar face among all those strangers yelling. He stuck out like a sore thumb. As much as I didn’t want to see him there, my eyes always wandered back to him. Even though it was only for a few seconds. Song after song.  _It was him._

Gerard.

Surrounded by thousands of annoying, greasy, mouth breathing teenagers.

He must have really cared… Or maybe he just wanted a one-night stand. Whatever, it was...

Gerard.

It was easy for me to read people, but I truly couldn’t tell Gerard’s intentions. So, I ignored him most of the night. He seemed to get excited when our eyes did meet accidently, but I would always quickly look away. My heart wasn’t ready for those type of things. Just thinking about talking to him gave me anxiety and made me want to finish the gig right there and then.

When the show was over, I snuck out as stealthily as possible from the venue. Some teen girls did find me. But not him. Thank god, not him. I seriously didn’t want to be dealing with him. I wasn’t ready.

Part of me feared that if I talked to him, the demon was going to appear and take what he wanted. And I did not want to know what that was.

****


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooops this is turning a little longer than i had anticipated. hopefully i can finish this by halloween. we can all hope, right? anyways, its super fun to have 20witch with me helping with this. she draws, i write, our cats sleep, and we all have a good time.
> 
> update: fukcing google docs fucking not spell checking shit ahhh lemme fix this

1

“A ghoul! You brought me a ghoul!”  
She started petting Bob’s head as if he was some small innocent creature. He wasn’t. Bob didn’t mind though. He allowed it to happen and smiled. Even when big strands of his hair started falling from his head. Soon, they were all going to be gone. The hair was as dead as he was.

In my mind, the witch was supposed to live three hours deep into some dark enchanted forest. You could only contact her during the moonlight and she spoke Latin or some shit like that. In reality, she lived about 20 minutes away from where I did. She had her own place. It looked completely normal from the outside. Peach colored house in the suburbs. Red car on the driveway. Lots, and I mean,  **lots** , of flowers.

Even in the inside, things weren’t too obvious.

Pink walls. Lots of vintage pictures of pin up girls. The classic “We can do it!” was plastered in a coffee mug. The place had a turntable playing calm French music. And lots of indoor plants, of course. Also, huge pentagram painted on the living room’s table. Blood stains on the white carpet. Two fully grown cats, both incredibly overfed. Perhaps she was just a lesbian or something. Didn’t mean she was a witch!

But the basement was where the magic happened. Torture devices, old books about dark magic, lots of weird symbols over the walls and floors, lots of random organs inside mason jars. Mostly eyes and ears for some strange reason. And a huge crow lived down there because of course she owned a big black crow for some reason. It looked straight into my eyes the entire time I was there.

“It's not for you”  
Quickly I grabbed my friend and pulled him closer to me.

“I want him now”  
Suddenly she was pulling Bob’s hair, but she pulled too hard.

Not only did she give him a bald spot. She pulled part of his skin too. His skull was visible now.

“God damn it Frank! Can’t you just keep me dead and alone for once?!”  
Bob wasn’t even angry by that stage, only annoyed.

I cannot imagine how shitty things must be for him. If I hate being alive, Bob hates that times three. And it showed.

“Remember, I’m friends with Gerard! And Mikey! I’m here to learn more about the business. Learn about what you guys do to the community and all”

“Well, for starters...:” The redhead started, grabbing Bob’s body as if it was a simple object and nothing else. “If you have a ghoul in your hands, we should keep it.” She smiled “For everyone's safety”

“You’re not taking my ghoul, you witch!”

The redhead seemed bothered by my comment, and immediately stopped touching Bob.

She got close enough to the point I could smell her breath, and she negged me with:  
“You’re not taking good care of him. When was the last time you took him for a walk at the graveyard? Uh? He looks like he needs it. Humans should not own ghouls like that.”

“That does sounds nice, actually”  
Bob smiled at the idea of the graveyard.

“Are you insane? Or do you just want me to end up in a mental institution? We’re not getting caught at a graveyard! He’s fine. He ate the raw meat from my fridge and he’s all good. You don’t know what he needs”

“Raw Walmart food ain’t no way to live”  
The redhead insisted. She made a sad face mocking my friend’s way of” survival **”**.

“Lady, I’m very depressed, I’ve eaten worse things at 4 am. I’m sure Bob loves his food”

“Do you Bob? Wouldn’t you rather stay with  **M E?** ”

She smiled. And she looked absolutely beautiful. The type of beauty that simply doesn’t exist. We can try and try and try to recreate it, but it just doesn’t happen. Not among humans. She was beautiful in a supernatural way. Hair as red as the fire in hell. Huge green eyes that were impossible to avoid. A smile that a human heart simply couldn't deny...

And a gap between her teeth that reminded you that somewhere, buried deeply into her, there was still a human side.

A long time ago. That was a girl. Now she was somewhere in between the supernatural and the living. Worse than hell, probably.

“I mean, no? Actually, I’d rather be fucking dead. That's what I would like. Like all I want for Christmas is to be dead and buried deep underground. That's all.”

She seemed disappointed in Bob’s response. Her smile quickly faded into a face of annoyance. To her, we were a waste of her time now.

“I thought you could help”  
I felt stupid saying it out loud, because I knew exactly that she was gonna run me over.

“And why would I do that?”  
She tapped her long red nails against the wall. They looked like claws.

Exactly. Exactly Frank. Why would she?!  
“Because…. What Gerard said...the balance...between the supernatural and us….is important”

This simple sentence took between 5 to 7 minutes to be completed. This is what happens when your brain rotted from so many stupid fucking decisions all the time. It freezes on you like that-

“There's a balance between hunters and us, but you ain’t no hunter”  
She had no doubt in what she was saying. More tapping.

I was indeed no hunter. In fact, I was someone who should stay as far away from the supernatural as possible. Because I had caused nothing but trouble. Two times in a row. So, I was standing there speechless. It was my fault. Bob was there for a reason. Because I was no hunter. And I had not known better.

“Great. We came all the way here for nothing. Just great.”

Bob was growing so tired of me. Truly, I feared that at one point he was gonna get too angry and he was going to get me k--

“I can read you your future if you want me to. That’s what you really want, isn’t it?”  
The woman offered.

“What?”

Yes. But not my future exactly. Everyone's future. Gerard’s future particularly was keeping me awake at night.

“Your past, present, future. You wanna hear it?”

“But Bob?”

“I need to know where he came from”

“I can tell you”

“I need to read it myself”  
She said.

She knew I was going to lie. I don’t know how, but she knew that I was going to lie and say Bob just appeared in my backyard like that one day.

“How?”

“Give me your hand” She pulled out a knife from her skirt like it was nothing. It was hiding in her garter belt. She then sat on the ground of the basement. There were all kinds of symbols carved into the wooden floor, but she seemed to have picked a particular spot for what she wanted “I need your hand”

The scene left me in shock for a few moments. My brain was shutting down again.

Then it went back to earth when I heard Bob sitting down on the floor. I joined. And without thinking it more, extended my hand to her.

“I’m really not this charitable. You’re lucky you have a ghoul with you, or you’d be out by now.” She teased me, making me feel even more uncomfortable there “I’d keep your eyes for sure.”

She touched every line on my palm as if she was searching for something. She watched every little detail on my skin.

“Fine. I wanna hear it”

“This is gonna hurt. You’re not a little bitch, are you?”  
She held me with her left hand and the knife with her right hand. I knew where things were going.

I just didn’t want her to call me a little bitch!

“I’m not”

She sliced my skin as if it was something she did every day. The movement seemed completely natural to her. Plus, the knife was sharp and it went through the skin as if it was paper. The blood started pouring and pouring rapidly all over my hand. It was basically raining all over the floor. I looked down and saw the symbols were turning red. Then the pain started.

“FUUUUUUUUUCKKKK”

“Don’t be a little bitch”

She then took my injured hand and pushed it into the floor, to some symbol I could not understand. She kept my hand there and pushed it harder to the point it felt like she was gonna break my fingers. I screamed again. But this time it wasn’t as loud.

The pain was so much. It made me shed one tear. Maybe a few more….

“Frank Anthony Thomas Iero.” She stopped for a second and looks disoriented, then added “Junior.”

“Yes.”

“It’s dark. You drink a lot. There's not much going on in your life, so a drink usually fixes it. You think you’ve already wasted your life away. That there's no future for someone like you. You’ve given up and you’re fine with it. You do reckless things, but never attempt anything against your life. Whenever you do try, you give up easily. You’re too jaded, even for that. You’d rather smoke another a cigarette and wait for a heart attack one day”

“Could I?”

“No, darling. Your lungs are fine. Raymond is the one who should stay away from cigarettes though. He won’t be as lucky if he isn’t careful.”

“Good to know”  
Raymond. She knew about my friends. She knew about my past. It was all in my blood.

“Your best friend died, and you started acting more careless than usual. That’s why you’re here. Gerard, Michael, messing with stuff that doesn’t concern you. You didn’t think of anyone else but yourself… You wanted what was best for you. What made you feel good. You convinced yourself it was about Bob. But at the end of the day, it was all about  _you_ , Frank”

“WE GET IT, I’M AN ASSHOLE”

“Alright, good. Your present is unsteady. There are things you like about your life, but a lot that you don’t. You like having Bob around, but you don’t like why he’s here. You like your band, but you don’t like your audience. You know you have to do something, but you don’t know how to. Cause you were selfish earlier. And you don’t want to be the bad guy in this story”

“That’s-”

“And you don’t want Gerard to get hurt either. So, you’re here. Right now. Asking me questions that you already know the answer to. You messed with what didn’t concern you. Now you fear every shadow you come across to.”

“Tell me my future”

“Darkness. Chaos. Loss. Future tends to be blurry and abstract. I see a lot of darkness. And I see Gerard, and this doesn’t end well for him.”

“What else? What else?”

“His brother isn’t so lucky either. Also, I’d tell you who wins the Superbowl but I’m not really into sports. All the jerseys look the same to me.”

“Do they know - Do they know it's my fault?”

“Michael figures it out pretty quickly. It takes Gerard a little more. But yes. They find out. And it's the opposite of what they expected from you. In their head, you were supposed to help them fight against things like  _him_. Not make deals with him. Don’t feel bad though, they all do. People who get close to the Ways always end up dead. At least you’re here now. You’re cursed, but at least you’ll live”

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How do I fix this? How do I undo the deal? How do I send Bob back?”

“I don’t…”  
She let go off my hand completely.

There was so much blood on the floor. And it all seemed to be focused on the symbol she had in her floor.

“Well what do I do?”

“I can’t get involved. I’ve already gotten involved with those  _things_  before. I would never mess with them again. Let alone make another deal with them. Or go against their plans.  _This doesn’t concern me_.  _They_  are an entirely different category… I fear them as much as you do, my dear”

“But you know so much about this stuff. You know what happens at the end. They don’t! You can help us!”

“That's just not my job. Its theirs”

“The Ways?”

“Always”

“But you said they don’t fix it this time.”

“Future is malleable. It can change very easily. A single choice in a day can lead to something completely new in your future. You just have to make the choice that leads you to the future you want. You have many of them. I just said the one you were more likely to have”

“And what decision leads me to that future?”

“Hiding till something happens. Cause something  _will_ happen, and it's no good”

2

The graveyard was locked.

But Bob did not hesitate at all. As soon as possible he started climbing the fence. Something was calling him inside. Something I don't think a human like me could explain. Bob wasn't quite himself anymore. He jumped into that fence like a wild animal. And he left some of his organs behind. Things I hope that he doesn't need.

“Wait! you ugly Frankenstein!”

“Get faster, ugly human!”

I stared at the top of the thing for a while. As much as I didn't want to admit it, my short ass wasn’t going to climb that alone. But Bob was inside looking at me with those dark dark eyes. The ones I’m still *trying* to get used to too. The ones you're not supposed to ever see. At least if you're lucky.

They were still blue. They just had no  **light**.

“C’mon”  
He hit the lock and in one punch the thing broke in millions of pieces.

Bob is stronger now. And he likes eating red meat. That can't be a good combination.

I didn't say anything. It was still Bob. As much as it hurt me. That creature was Bob. Regardless of what happened it was Bob. To me...He was taking me inside the graveyard to do strange things, but he wasn’t going to hurt me. Even though I hurt him before. He wouldn’t…. Cause it was Bob.... He wouldn’t hurt….

3

“So, the witch wasn't any help”

“No, it fuckin wasn’t!”

“What’s next?”

Bob was lost somewhere among the shadows.

There was a thick fog covering most of the graveyard. Bob’s voice was somewhere, but I couldn’t place it. I could hear Bob moving erratically, but I had no idea where he was or for what. Perhaps it was better that way for my own mental health. Cause he was acting very strange. Even though it was Bob, he was different now. But….

“I don’t know. We’re running out of ideas”

“We've tried one thing.” He quickly pointed out “And you heard the woman, call Gerard”

“Never. What are  _YOU_  doing for us? Uh? At least I’m trying here”

There were more loud noises. He started knocking on wood. Over and over and over. Till it breaks.  **Crrrrrrkkkk**. And he keeps hitting the wood again and again. Trying to get inside of the coffin.  **CRRRRRRKKKK.**.. The wood starts tearing apart. I didn’t want to know anything more of it.

“I’m so hungry”

Then the smell. A scent that made me my skin crawl.

“Why don’t you ask them for help?”  
There was something about the way he was speaking… I could tell he was eating something. But I did not want to know what it was. It was only going to make me gag and get vomit everywhere.

“Well…”

There was a tall gravestone not so far away from me. For whatever reason, it called me. In a human way though, because I was so fucking tired I could drop dead. And I needed to lay down for a while. So, I put my hands behind my head, and rested them on top of the gravestone as if therapy had just started and I was in a fancy couch. The rest of my body was on the grass, right in the mud. It bothered me, but I was so anxious about too many things too care.

“You feeling okay?”

“Well… I like- the Way brothers. And I thought they liked me and that we were cool but now… I’m not so sure. I feel like…”

Bob kept munching on the remains he had found. There were no signs that he was listening to me whatsoever. Indeed,  **just like therapy.**

“Is it” he stopped to spit something, “because of Gerard?”

“Maybe”

There was no point in hiding it. The witch had already mentioned it. I had already mentioned it. It was obviously because of Gerard and only Gerard. But that wasn’t a good enough of a reason...

“He’s crazy about you”

“No, he’s not”  
I closed my eyes, as if it was going to help me ignore him. I wanted to take a nap right there at the graveyard. And maybe never wake up.

“I’ve been inside his head, you dummy. He likes you”

“He doesn’t though! If he did none of this would have happened!”  
The echo of my voice went through the entire place. It was embarrassing realizing how stupid I sounded.

Everything and everyone were telling me I needed to talk to him. But my brain kept refusing.  _Nothing good would come out of it_ , it kept saying. It was safer for me to keep my deal with the demon and shut up. And say goodbye to the Way brothers for good. But my heart was saying something else entirely.

“Frank, have you ever, ever, stopped and think that maybe things are your own fault and not someone else's. It can be life changing. It can save you from a lot of bad situations. This is one of them”

“I’m not a hunter. I wasn’t supposed to be involved. He should have been at the bar that night. He should have. He fuckin’ should have! You weren’t there!” And the tears started of course, while my voice started cracking “And he wasn’t there! And I just! I wanted to have friends again, okay? I wanted to be happy again! And now I’m at a graveyard crying over some stupid idiot guy. And I don’t want him dead and-”

“Frank, I’m sorry this guy hurt you.” He interrupted. “But I’m inside a graveyard eating human organs. This is going to be my eternity. Would you like this? Cause I hate this. I’m not here, I’m not there. I’m a goddamn monster, Frank. You turned me into a-”

“I’m sorry!”  
I couldn’t stand to listen to it any longer. It was too painful for me.

“Things don’t have to be like this”

“What else is there to do?”

“You call him. Tell him he’s a stupid idiot. And that you need help. Like really badly.”

I needed to stop hiding. I needed to make the right choice for once.

4

Our band had a manager. No idea why. At some point we needed a “legit” manager and not just someone we drank with a lot. Thanks to him we all had our own rental cars to go around the city. By that point, I could probably go to some agency and get my own car easily. But I found that the ghoul business was more important at the moment.

For now, I was using a rental G-wagon.

Bob sat on the back of course. Cause he smelled like shit. All the time. No exceptions.

The entire drive I tried to chicken out, then I saw Bob’s ugly ass, and realized I did need to do something. Like fast. Like the guy was somehow decaying even more. I did not want to end up hanging out with a skeleton by the end of the month. He was already very, and I must insist, very ugly. He was uglier than when he was alive! It was almost an accomplishment to the poor bastard!

So, it kept me driving.

Back to a house I thought I was never going back to.

But of course, I was. Of course, I was.

Because my stupid ass simply couldn’t stay out of trouble. Now I was crawling back to them to beg for some help. Enough had happened already. I needed help. And they were the only ones who could do it. As much as I hated it. As much as my brain kept telling me to stay in the car and suck it up.

I stopped the car.

Same suburban house. Same American flag waving proudly outside. Same “JESUS SAVES!”. Everything was so friendly. But it all felt like a bad dream to me. Every step was a step closer to an adventure I wasn't sure I wanted. Cause adventures with the Way brothers are bloody, violent, and disgusting.

My hands were shaking when I touched the doorbell.

The door opened minutes later. It gave me enough time to think of what I was doing. I would see the door, think about leaving, see the car with the ghoul, and think about staying instead. Good times.

“Frank! It's so good to see you! The boys have asked about you.” She quietly added “Whenever the bell rings they think it’s you”

At least Donna looked happy. There was one good thing in my world and it was that. She deserved it.

“Good thing this time is the real deal”

“Come in! They’re in the kitchen, they woke up a few minutes ago.”

The living room had a different soap opera on, loud as ever. I passed by it, saw someone getting slapped and kept walking. Donna clearly had some quality tv to be watching and it wasn’t fair to interrupt her. As I walked to the kitchen, she went back to the couch and back to her Brazilian show.

She looked completely amazed by it. Even though the show had no subtitles...

“Yes, you do, you scare everyone away with your fucking dork ass. You’re so uptight, must have thought you-”  
Gerard was saying as I got closer and closer to the kitchen.

“Hey!”  
Was all I could think of. I was out of ideas. I couldn’t hide anymore. So, I was finally there, interrupting his conversation before he could say anything else.

“FRANK!”  
The brothers said in unison.

“Hey again!”  
So I smiled from ear to ear, so goddamn nervous that I could probably die. But I couldn’t just dump  **please help with my ghoul** immediately into the conversation. Not with their mom inside the house.

“Please let me speak to you for one second, we seriously need to talk. You don’t answer my calls and-”  
Gerard sound honest, but I didn’t care. I was still thinking about getting the hell out of there.

“We got set up”  
Mikey interrupted, with basically no expression on his face. Like it meant nothing to him to be involved in a conspiracy that probably almost killed him.

“In private! I can tell him the story myself, in private!”  
Gerard warned his brother, and they were both finally fighting again.

Ah. It sure was the Way household. Just like the last time. Where everyone hated each other and got close with death every other day. They were the same dorks from before. Had I missed them?

“See guys, I’m sure it's riveting and all but there's something I need to show you”

“What?”  
They both angrily said in unison again.

“It's in my car. And you need to see it. Like  **right now.** “

“What? What is it? Like a song on the radio? Or a new headrest?  
Michael tried, looking confused now.

“No! It’s something special”

“I'll go, stay here Mikey”  
Gerard was already getting up from the chair.

But so was his brother. Something had happened while I was gone. They seemed more hostile to each other than usual. That probably wasn’t good for me, uh?

“No, I think you both need to see this.”

“Is it bad?”  
Michael seemed to already know the answer. Probably since my mysterious phone call days ago.

“Well…”

5

“FRANK YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH”.  
He grabbed me by the neck of my shirt.

“Oh, this is bad” Mikey pulled out his inhaler “Oh this is really bad, Gee”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”  
Gerard pulled me by my shoulders and started shaking me like some doll. I didn’t defend myself. I deserve that and more...

“This is so bad”  
Mikey continued, then used the inhaler again.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”  
Gerard insisted, begging me to say something.

I didn’t want to hide anymore. But I wasn’t ready to face things yet. So, I just lied. As I was getting used to. I didn't want them to hate me. I needed their help. Real fucking badly. And as soon as goddamn possible.

“Nothing man! He appeared in my living room one day and now we’re here”

“IS THAT ALL THAT HAPPENED?”  
He grabbed my shoulders very tightly.

“Yes, can you fix this or-?”

“I-”

The question broke him.

This wasn’t an everyday thing to them. It was obvious. This was something huge. It wasn’t something they had done thousands of times before like haunted houses or vampires. This time it was different. He looked sick and confused. His skin seemed more pale and his eyes were wide opened staring at nothing.

“This has...never happened before. People don’t just rise from the dead. There had to be something else.”  
Michael explained to me after a few minutes of silence.

The three of us were outside the car. As soon as they had seen Bob, they opened the doors and left running. So, we were on their lawn, probably drawing way too much attention to ourselves with all the screaming and fighting between each other.

“YOU’RE CURSED OR SOMETHING. THIS CAN’T BE RIGHT”  
Gerard yelled and pointed a finger at me.

“Are you gonna help me or not?”

Silence. Absolute silence. From the only people in the world that could possibly help me.

“What did Hayley say?”  
Michael asked, a little calmer than his older brother. At least he seemed to want to do something other than panicking.

“She said ……” They looked at me with at least some hope in their eyes “She said that things are terrible and they’re gonna get worse.”

“Sounds about right!”  
Gerard said.

“Makes a lot of sense”  
Michael agreed.

They both sat on the lawn, looking at the car intensely.

I joined them.

“So, what's the plan guys?”

“FRANK! WE ALREADY SENT THIS MAN TO GOD, WE CAN’T JUST RETURN HIM LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!”

“What you mean is?”

“What the means is, we have no idea what to do. Gerard’s experiences with ghosts had never ended in ghouls. That’s a whole different category. And ghouls are bad in more ways than you can imagine. They attract bad stuff into this town. And they’re usually brought by the bad stuff in town”

“We have no hope, basically”

“Basically”

Slowly, the window from the car started going down. A shadow got closer. And then we saw what was left of Bob was there, staring at us.

“Can I please just die?”

“My god, I wish you would”

6

The coffee machine was working nonstop that night. Mikey was the one reading as many books as possible. Gerard was trying to find help online, but I could see that at times he would get bored and wonder into other stuff. We had been searching for some answers for hours. Bob was in my bedroom. They didn’t like seeing him and asked me specifically to keep him away from their “workspace”.

Ghouls don’t just appear. They have a reason to be.

Just like every creature in this town. And not every creature can be in this town.

That was very clear to me. Ghouls meant bad stuff was coming.

I mean…. It was already there wasn’t it? But they couldn’t know about that … not yet.

“Are you sure you don’t remember anything that might be related to this?”  
Michael asked me for the 500th time that night.

“I don’t”

Gerard simply stared at me. Longing. Then he went go back to his computer screen. There was something bothering him too. It seemed though, that his problem could wait. Killing Bob again was more important.

“I mean, we missed you too, man. But there were other ways to see each other again”  
Gerard joked, but I didn’t laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so for a second year in a row i fucked up and didn't finish the halloween fic before halloween lmao. who would have thought?
> 
> {\\__/}   
> ( • . •) hope someone enjoys this <3

1

The air felt different. A cold breeze surrounded the front lawn of the Way’s residency. Bob was walking in circles, chewing on something that I couldn’t see. I did not want to know. His mouth was covered in dark blood. The chewing sounds were enough to make me want to throw up.

And the smell. Bob always carried over that terrible smell. Something rotten. Something decayed. Something _gone_. Just like _him_.

“I don’t like your new gang”  
He said finally, looking at me with those dark eyes I was still not used to. They were haunting. Lacking beauty or life in anyway.

It was hard for me to understand what he was saying. Especially because he was talking as he ate human remains.

“The Way brothers?”  
Was what I asked, taken back by his statement.

They sure did not like each other. I had asked the Way brothers for help towards Bob. But I was realizing that it wasn’t what we were doing. We weren’t helping Bob. We were getting rid of Bob. Of course, that neither party liked each other. And my stupid ass was now in the middle of both of them.

Why would I put myself in a situation like this? Cause I’m incredibly stupid, that’s why, guys. And in my head, everything was going to be alright. But it wasn’t. And it was not going to be any time soon. Not after what I did on that Halloween night. Everything was only going to go downhill no matter what.

“I don’t like them. They’re not trying to help me.” He sounded serious about this, and it made me feel unsafe “They’re trying to get me to dissa-disappear”

He almost choked on a bone for a second.

“You’re just saying that because they don’t let you inside their house”  
Was my response. It was true, but it was also ridiculous enough to be amusing. I hoped he would at least smile at me.

“Like a dog”  
He sounded angry when he said this. No smile. Disgruntled.

“You smell worse than any wet dog could, so i get them”  
Even though i was trying to keep things playful, he did not react much. He stopped feeding at the very least. But I was still very uncomfortable.

“They don’t trust me”  
He said.

“They don’t know you”

“But you know me. You should tell them something”  
He protested.

I knew Bob. With a heavy emphasis on _knew_. What was standing next to me looked similar to Bob, sure. But it also fed on human organs and enjoyed cemetery walks at midnight. So truly, was its Bob? Or was its Bob’s body? Was it something in between? There was no way for me to know. I knew Bob. I didn’t know the cadaver standing next to me.

Letting it into the Way’s house sounded like a terrible idea. It sounded dangerous even. And suspicious...

“I can't. It’s their rules, not mine. Go back to the graveyard if you want”

Things were starting to feel tense between us. Something that I did not like. Because Bob was way stronger than I was. And I did not want to be in the bad side of someone who ate human beings.

“No. I wanna stay and see what you guys find”  
He said, but i knew the Way brothers were gonna be completely against it. And if _they_ were against it...

“We are not gonna break a demon’s curse in one night! Relax”

He looked even more angry now. I was only trying to get playful Bob back. But it wasn't working. Bob looked like he wanted to hurt somebody. Maybe even _me_. Things were going downhill. But at least I knew that if something happened, I could scream and Gerard would run to rescue me. Even if I had to pretend like I didn’t want it afterwards.

Bob started walking away, somewhere along the shadows of the night. I went back to the Way’s house. There, things were tense too. But at least there wasn’t a feeling of danger. Just a lot of discomfort, and a ton of awkwardness between Gerard and me.

Which was maybe even worse than death? Maybe? A little… The way he looked at me was worse than death.

Every step I took downstairs I could feel him staring at me. When I went to sit on the floor and picked up a book, he was still staring. Even when the words were on my head I would still get distracted and think about his eyes again. How desperate to talk to me he looked at that moment.

As soon as Michael went to the bathroom there was silence in the basement. Complete silence. The one that lingers. And hurts a little bit. Then, the worst:

“I need to talk to you”  
Gerard goes, as if things were that simple.

“I don’t know”  
I say, without looking away from the book.

“Please”

“I-”

“Please”  
Suddenly he’s already next to me, looking at me impatient. Waiting for me to say something else. Anything else.

“Okay but be real quick”.  
I said, but I did not mind his company.

“You have to listen to me.” He started “I know you think Bob is your friend, and you loved him dearly, but you have to be careful with him now. “

The conversation went to a place I did not expect. I wanted to discuss _us_. He wanted to discuss Bob’s Bryar reliability. I didn’t even know why i was disappointed, I wasn’t ready to talk about us anyway but… still… it made my chest hurt a little bit... not that I cared but…

“What?”

“I know this isn’t the first time I tell you this, but that’s not the Bob you remember as a friend. You can’t trust him. No matter what he says. Never trust the undead. You cannot trust him ever”

“Like with you?”

He looks at me in shock. As if I had said the unthinkable. But he had to know what I was talking about. Even if he was faking surprise and innocence. He knew exactly what the fuck I was talking about.

“Uh? Oh, is this? Is this about the birthday thing?”

“Maybe”  
I looked back into my book.

The book was entirely in Latin. I guided myself from the pretty pictures that were drawn and that was it. I imagined the Way brothers did the same. It seemed religious, but very strange. A lot of rituals were handled in the book. I wondered how it had ended up in the Way library.

“Frank i told you it was a busy time of the year. A lot of crazy shit happened that night. Dangerous stuff. I couldn't take you with me to something like that”

“And you couldn't call either?”  
I finally close down the book and almost shouted at him.

“No! Course not! I’m telling you it was a rough night, even for someone with experience like me. There was no time”

Yup.

I heard his side of the story officially.

It was not enough. I don’t know why, but i didn’t want it to be. I wasn’t ready for it. I still felt angry and just as disappointed. Even if i still felt very very very attracted to the guy. Like, incredibly crazy about him. I was still hesitant. I was not gonna half ass a relationship. Not again. No matter how cute his hair was.

“I want to believe that”

“Please don’t do this, let me fix this.” He hummed for a moment before yelling ‘Can i take you to dinner?”

“Not my style”

“Let’s grab a cup of coffee somewhere and-”

“There's plenty of coffee here”  
I quickly interrupted him before he could continue the sentence.

“Yes, but i want to talk about us too and-”  
Now he did want to talk about it. But i was gone.

“There's no us”

“Yes, there was”

“Was”  
I echoed.

“Listen, i know I’m the worst catch ever, and i know you’re hurt. But you have to admit you were feeling something for me too.”

My cheeks were burning but i wasn't going to let him win. No way in hell. Not so easily. He still needed to apologize. But for real this time. Not a shitty “I’m sorry I’m more important than you” apology. I wanted something real. The guy was gonna have to try so much harder than that to get to me.

“And you ruined it by being you” I yelled “You know...i wouldn't have been mad if you had just taken me to hunt with you. Or at least told me you were hunting. Or fuckin apologized”

“You're not a hunter, Frank! Or anyone that could help. There was no reason for me to call you, you would have been somewhere you didn’t belong.”

“This is exactly what I mean, thank you”  
I got up and I was ready to leave. Maybe not just the basement, but the entire house too.

It was enough.

“Do you want this? Do you think it’s fun? Living with this shit?”

“No! I hate it actually! But I like you! I really fuckin’ like you!”

“Then why are we fighting!?”

“I don’t know! Cause my best friends eats corpses and you speak to ghosts! I worry a lot! I don’t want this! I wanna make out and have fun but i don’t want these burdens and-”

“But you want me?”

“Yes… But… You’re a lot. This is a lot!!”

And of course. Michael walked in. Both of us stared at him in utter shock. Then I almost immediately grabbed my book and pretended to be reding again. Anything to make the room less awkward after what had happened.

“Did i interrupt something?”  
He seemed legitimately embarrassed.

“No”  
After the minutes became unbearable, I grabbed my hoodie and went for a smoke.

2

Bob wasn’t outside the next morning. It didn’t matter.

Gerard drove to the witches house. Him and Michael told me to stay out of it. And i actually agreed. Oh, I went home and spent most of the day in bed. I hated the entire situation. I hated Gerard. I hated that i still had feelings for Gerard.

And Bob was a no show.

My phone kept ringing all day. Gigs I wasn’t going to do, people U didn’t want to meet. I didn’t answer anybody. They meant more trouble than good. My career was dead for all I cared. I didn’t owe anyone shit. I was not gonna do anything but read and ignore.

The only person i considered responding to was Ray. He had sent me:  
“Hey. Seems like things are finally looking up for you, man. Congrats. Never thought there be a day where you ignored a gig. Ha-ha. But that’s a good thing. It’s good for you to stay busy and all. I know things have been tough. But it feels good seeing things change (for good) finally.”

He had no idea. I wish i had no idea too. I’d be so happy.

But I’m not.

I’m here, filled with way too many worries in my head.

Somehow I ended up falling asleep in the couch. There were no dreams or nightmares. In fact, I hardly felt rested at all by the time I woke up. When i eventually was ready, I checked my phone and saw that it was 4 in the morning. Someone had turned off the lights for me...

And then I realized something. This time I wasn’t alone.

I could feel - and _SMELL_ \- Bobs presence. He was somewhere in the darkness of the house.

“Where were you?”

No answer. Only the sounds of something moving in the kitchen. It made me uneasy. My entire body was shivering. Someone (or something) was moving my cutlery. It made me very scared. But eventually i got up from the couch to turn on the lights of the living room.

“What’s the matter?”

The kitchen was still dark though. And for some reason, i didn’t want to get near it. Something wasn’t right. Everything in my body was telling me something was very bad. Starting from the knot in my stomach.

I felt unsafe in my own home. I didn’t want to know what was hiding in those shadows. The thought of what was hiding there made me want to scream. It could be anything. Now that I knew the Way brothers, it really could be anything.

“Feeding”

His answer did not satisfy me. He sounded different. Dangerous. Very dangerous.

“Full?”

“No.”  
Was the last thing the creature said before coming out of the shadows and knocking me down to the floor?

“You were never gonna help me!!”

The creature’s eyes were dark red, and they were staring straight into my fucking soul. They were not going to forgive me for failing. Ever. His body was severed and looked absolutely disgusting. Organs and parts were missing where they shouldn’t.

“FUCK!!!!” The thing was covered in blood and drool and hairs and i don’t want to know what else “BOB?? WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” No answers, just the creature trying to bite me. I dodge and dodge, but it keeps trying “BOB IS IT YOU? BOB”

The creature screeched loudly. Ready to take a bite out of me. And god damn it, I yelled right back:

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU!! UGLY BASTARD!!”  
Before I kicked him away from me. I couldn’t take it anymore. Even if it looked like my friend, it was very clear to me know that he was not. I was his dinner. The thought of it made my entire body shiver.

My kick knocked him over, but he was soon up again and ready to get me. Still with those red eyes and half his body falling apart. It was such a miserable view. The thing needed to be put away for good. His time on earth had ended a long time ago. Keeping him with us was absolutely cruel for everyone involved.

I was not gonna try to talk with it any longer. I just ran the fuck away from home. Shaking and screaming. The creature was right behind me. It followed me right into the garage, where the keys of my car wouldn’t go in because my hands were shaking so much.

“Oh, shit oh shit oh shit”  
Click. And i hit the pedal as soon as possible to get away from that thing. Even as I was leaving I could see it trying to get near the car and it haunted me. Feeling like he was gonna appear on my copilot seat at any second.

“AHHHHHH!!!!!”  
I drove like a maniac almost hitting everything in sight.

I didn’t feel safe till i was at least the first 5 miles away.

3

Rang the bell maybe twenty times. As if that was gonna make the way family get up any faster. I couldn’t stay outside for too long. It was gonna get me. Whatever that thing was knew the night, and it was gonna get me.

“What’s the matter with you!”  
Michael asks me, looking tired and confused at the situation.

“BOB TRIED TO EAT ME!”  
I yelled at him, holding him by his shoulders so that he could hear me loud and clear.

“Well, come inside damn…”

They explained to me that it wasn't really Bob. The creature just wasn't. And this time I finally believed them. I didn’t need any more proof. I had seen it with my own eyes. Maybe during its first days it had seemed human, but it was obviously the work of the devil himself.

“But you don’t have to worry anymore” Gerard explained “We got what we needed”

He pulled out a sword. Like a real ass sword in the year two thousand seven. Jesus. I’m not kidding about this. This guy seemed like he just wanted an excuse to get the damn thing out of his basement.

“How? The witch-”

“Yup.”

“Why did she help?”  
Was the first thing in my mind. I remember the witch and she was not friendly. Plus, she liked ghouls. Bob in fact. She had really liked Bob The Ghoul Who Needs Graveyard And Human Flesh.

“Said something about the good of the community and stuff.” swinging the sword carelessly around the basement “Whatever that means”

“Just one good blow towards him and its done”  
Michael explains

“No, you don’t understand. You can’t just hit him. He’s really strong and he-”

“Were hunters, we can do this. You just need to stay safe”  
Gerard interrupts me before I can say anything else. And this time I can’t take it.

“Oh, fuck off”

He seemed genuinely hurt by my words. But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to. Caring was the worst. I wanted to disappear from everything. I went upstairs and ended up locking myself in the bathroom. Because at the end of the day, this house was the only safe place I had. But I still hated it.

Gerard yelled something as I went away but i didn’t listen. I didn’t care. He was stupid. This entire thing was stupid. I was losing my mind and that was all that was happening. If I kept hanging out with those idiots’ things were only going to get worse. And things were already terrible.

They brought trouble. It wasn’t me. It was them. Particularly Gerard. It was all Gerard’s fault. Why couldn’t I hate Gerard like i should? Why did he still make me feel a weird sensation in my chest?

Now, I took a deep breath before panicking again. Because as soon was over, the shower curtains opened completely out of nowhere.

“Hey there”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

“You’re doing this all wrong.”

The creature from weeks earlier said. The demon that was not supposed to exist. The one that had brought misery nonstop towards my life.

“What the hell do you want from me?”  
I was tired. I didn’t want to keep wondering what was next. I wanted things to be over. Every single one of them. All the things I asked for were meaningless. I wanted my stupid boring life back.

“Two things.”

“One!”

“I never said how many. Two.”

There was an aching pain in my heart. My vision was starting to get blurry. Suddenly I was losing balance. And my nose was bleeding. Was I finally dying? Thank god. I was finally dying. This was exactly what I needed. It was gonna be so much better now.

“Two”

It stopped. I reincorporated immediately. The blood was still dripping from my nose though.

“One. You get closer to Gerard. Two. You get me a one-on-one with him.”

“Impossible”

My heart ached again. And my nose started losing blood like a fountain. The pain was so bad i dropped into my knees. I started seeing red. Blood was coming out of my eyes and getting all over my face. Every single organ in my body seemed to be collapsing. Pain was all over me.

“We made a deal.”

“If i don't do this, will i die?

“Worse.” I found that hard to believe, but he later explained “You’ll follow my orders, and live for eternity hungry for humans. I’ll make you a ghoul. I’m sure Gerard would love that. And so, would you.”

The pain stopped. The blood disappeared. It was all a facade. My health was fine.

“I”

“I know you wouldn't mind dying. That’s why I’m telling you, you don’t even get hell. You’d stay right here.”

“Fuck”

“That’d probably work”

4

“You’re back”  
Michael goes, as if he was surprised that i didn’t leave. When they knew damn well, they were the only two people that would protect me from whatever the hell was outside looking for me and pretending to be my friend.

“Yeah”  
Was all that left my throat. I wanted to say something else, truly. But my mouth wouldn’t.

I felt so overwhelmed. I had almost died two times already in a single night. As Gerard said, this wasn’t fun. It was a nightmare. And i wouldn’t wake the fuck up. I missed my nights of solitude at the bar. Anything was better than this. I knew too much. It was not worth it at all for me. It only brought me pain.

“Look, I’m not counting you out because i don’t want you around. I do it cause i care about you. I want you to be safe.”

He doesn’t want me dead. That’s all that he’s saying. It was becoming hard to tell if that was selfish or not. I wanted death. Why was i not allowed to have it? Who was he to stop me?

“I care about you too, Gerard. A lot”  
I said, earnestly. But i wasn’t looking at him. I was staring at nothing. Completely faded.

“What’s the matter with you? You look like you just saw a ghost”  
Michael asks, completely out of our conversation.

“I trust you”

“Uh?  
Gerard wonders

“I trust you.” I began to explain” When bob gets here. I know you’ll do what’s for the best”

Everyone in the room knew what i meant by that. It was a somber statement to make. But it needed to be done. I had lost it. They could take whatever they wanted from me. I didn’t care anymore. I was done. Things needed to be over. My best friend had tried to kill me. I understood. I didn’t want to be a part of any of it anymore.

“Good.” Gerard takes a pause “I’m sorry”

“I understand”

“I worried that you’d take this real badly”  
Michael also says.

“No. I understand everything now.”  
I said, still looking at nothing.

“You okay? You’re looking very pale. Are you ill?”  
Gerard asks, with genuine concern on his face. I look at him, then back at nothing.

“No, I’m fine.”

“hmmm”

“Gerard, do you trust me?”

Please say no. Please say no. Please for all that is holy, say no.

“I do” He says “And maybe i shouldn’t, but goddamn i like you”

“You shouldn’t”

5

It happened outside the house at exactly 5:30 am. That’s when they put it out of its misery. They didn’t let me go downstairs, because they said it would be too painful to watch. But i watched everything happen from the window.

This time around it wasn’t bitter. I was starting to become desensitized with it. My life was a horror show now. So of course, they’re killing a ghoul in this front lawn. This is just something that happens in my life now. Next to haunting vampires, almost getting eaten by ghouls, going to haunted houses, and visiting witches.

The creature came dripping in blood. Probably the blood of innocent people that had nothing to do with me. It spit something into the grass. Next morning i found out they were human fingernails.

Gerard and Mikey went outside fairly quickly. You could hear the creature groan from a mile away. It was angry. And it knew exactly where i was.

But Gerard wasn’t going to let it get anywhere near me. I knew he wasn’t.

The creature had fed, but it was still slow. Slower than any of the way brothers, in fact. It moved like an injured animal. And it groaned and groaned:

FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!

Unlike before, this scream was obviously not my friend. It sounded angry and bitter and honestly evil. That wasn’t Bob. It was an injured soul, really. The sound haunted me. But i couldn’t stop looking as soon as i got near the window.

Michael went towards his back and constricted him with his arms. The creature drooled a mixture of blood and a yellow liquid. It seemed to be getting more and more upset. It groaned and groaned. His fingernails had turned into claws and it made me worry. The thing tried to cut Gerard’s face, but was unsuccessful.

In fact, it didn’t take a lot of time before Gerard got him. Gerard seemed to have no fear in his eyes. This was his work. This was his life. He was not afraid of anything. He couldn’t be. Not when people needed him. Not when i needed him. And not when he had an excuse to finally use a sword in real life.

He swung his sword straight into the creature’s chest.

Then there was a blood curdling scream.

And it was over.

Gerard took the sword out.

At first i worried the creature wasn’t really dead. And hoped he would have swung at him more times. But Gerard later explained to me that it would have been for the worst. No. He did one hit and that was all he needed to do. The creature collapsed on the floor and started looking even worse.

They burnt the creature’s body somewhere in the woods. I wasn’t allowed to come. But it was fine. I was busy crying my heart out either way. I was doing my own thing. They could do their own.

6

When Gerard got home it was already the early morning. I was in his bed, curled up in a ball. Crying and crying still. Feeling ill from all that was happening at the same time. Sad, angry, ashamed, regretful, suicidal, all at the same time. And now next to a person who I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated.

“I’m sorry”

Another weep.

He starts walking around the room, probably thinking about what to do.

“I said I’m sorry”  
He finally sits down next to me in bed.

Something hit me then. An impulse i couldn’t stop. I pulled away the covers, grabbed him by his cheeks and kissed him. Because it was the only thing that was going to make me feel good. And i couldn’t fuckin stop myself anymore. My pride didn’t matter. I needed to get him closer. I needed **Gerard**

It was the wrong thing for the wrong time...

But it felt good to feel his lips again. To get a good grip of his long dark hair. To feel him relax around me. He kissed me back with more intensity, pushing me into the tiny bed he had. It made me feel safe somehow. I allowed him to get on top of me and push harder into my lips, this time adding his tongue.

The grip i had on his hair became tighter. I felt safe around him. I wanted every inch of him covering me. We moved our mouths aimlessly against each other’s. Like we were connected. And meant to be. I needed to be as close to him as humanly possible.

It was wrong, but it was exactly what I needed. I was finally feeling alive again. He made my heart beat as fast as possible and my entire body feel joy. There was nothing else in the world like it. If I could stay like that, holding him close to me forever, I have no doubt that I would. It felt so right.

“You’re so fuckin’pretty, Frank. I-”

I stopped to kiss his neck over and over again. He moaned as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb anyone from his family upstairs. And thankfully, we did not.

“You don’t even understand it, i can’t lose you. You’re- You’re something else. I can’t lose you. Ever. I can’t. I’m- Please don’t-”

I pulled him closer and kissed him again before he could continue. I just couldn’t bear to listen to him any longer. Not with the guilt i had in my head about working with the creature he hated the most of all. No. My body wanted to focus on him and nothing else. We did not need to talk at all...

“I think about you all the time” He continued after a few seconds. “I really do. You’re driving me crazy”

This time i tried to get him as close to me as possible, hoping this time he wouldn’t stop us. And that things would be perfect this time. But of course, he did. He said:

“I think I love you”

And I don’t know what came over me after that but i just started crying again. It was a lot to hear in a single day. I had enough emotions already. I couldn’t deal with it any more. The statement truly broke something in me. Something was hurting really badly.

“Please don’t say that ever again”  
Was all I asked for him. One time had been enough to make my entire world shake for a second or two. There couldn’t be a second time

He kissed me again like he hadn’t heard a thing. As if everything was okay.

“Don’t test me”  
He said.

****


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to the one person who actually likes and comments this fic i really appreciate it, i would have stopped posting without u :')

The three of us were on the dining table. All holding coffee mugs and staying in a peaceful silence. It was strange how different things were from the day before. But the Way brothers were used to this. Haunt one day, stay at home drinking coffee at another. It was nothing to them.

But to me? My hands were shaking so much o could barely grab the cup. There were so many emotions going through my head. More than anything, i was anxious. Real fuckin anxious about what was gonna happen to me. I fucked up the deal with the demon. And if i told them about it, i was gonna lose all the trust that the Ways had in me.

“So, what’s next, exactly?”  
I asked.

They both look at me without a care in the world. As if things were loud and clear already. As if everyone was used to this shit. But i wasn’t. I loudly placed the mug on the table to get some attention.

It was a mug they had lent me. It said _I want to believe_. I didn’t want to, not on this particular day…

“We kill whoever was behind it” Michael starts “Or, _what_ ever was behind it”

There were no emotions on his face as he said this. Nothing. He was ice cold. It wasn’t a rushed decision to him. It seemed to be a rule. _I don’t want to believe_.

“And how are we supposed to know who did it?”  
Was the second question i asked. Surely, they had no leads yet?

“I’m sure we will figure it out” Gerard says, and starts texting somebody on his phone. “We always do, y’know”

That did not make me feel any better about things. Things were just as confusing as they were originally for me.

All i could do was stare at his abandoned cup. It was dirty, it had an iron maiden logo and it was empty inside. Like me.

“But what if- What if the ghoul was accidently summoned?”  
I tried, feeling a little sweaty already.

“That doesn’t happen”  
Michael says, looking at me very carefully.

He was watching me dry the sweat off my forehead. That didn’t make me feel any safer. He had a strange thing in his eyes. As if i was a prey to him all of the sudden. It was the first time that the Way brother had made me feel afraid.

“You don’t know for sure!”  
Was the only thing i could come up with.

“You don’t randomly fall into a demon’s spell and get a ghoul all over town, no.”

“But you don’t know! Demons are crafty, remember? What if this certain person falls into a trap by one of them?”

“You’re awfully defensive today, Frank”  
Gerard puts the phone down finally, joining the conversation again. He wasn’t usually one to agree with Mikey, but this situation seemed to be special.

Now they both looked at me with uncertainty. I felt so much sweatier now. I didn’t like this conversation now. Not at all.

“I just don’t think it’s fair to kill the person without knowing their side of the story”

“Because people are fucking liars”  
Gerard goes. No hesitation.

“YES! BUT! acting barbaric isn’t gonna fix that”

“Ghouls don’t appear for no reason. There had to be an evil force behind this. More than likely, a demon. It’s what the witch warned us too. Someone in this town made a pact with a demon.” Michael stops for a second “That someone is not a person we should trust”

“Why not?”

“Because! Demons just don’t talk to everybody! Unless they want to kill you.” Gerard argues now, defending his little brother “And if they don’t want to kill you, that’s worse, because that means they want something out of you. And just imagine the type of person you’d have to be for a demon to want you - serial killers, rapists, politicians, the list goes on.”

“But there can be exceptions”

“We doubt it”

“C’mon guys, you can believe in ghouls and witches and vampires and phantoms and i don’t know what else, but you can’t believe in bad luck?”

“We know how things work. We’re gonna find whoever that did it and handle things the way we have to.”  
Michael says as if that was gonna make things any clearer.

“How?”

“Two shots to the back of the head. Praying for the best. And a nameless grave.”  
Gerard says, coldly.

“And what about the demon?! Shouldn’t we be searching for the demon instead? That seems like the bigger fish in the pond here”

“Yes, but it’s obviously not here. This place has no-”

“You keep saying that, but you don’t know for sure! The demon could be here!”

“But it’s not. I’d bet you its scared shitless of us, he would never get anywhere near this town”  
Gerard insists, and goes back to his phone.

The conversation was futile.

“You keep saying that, but yesterday you killed unliving proof that a demon was here”

“You wouldn’t understand it, Frank. We’re really good at what we do. Whoever was behind the ghoul will appear eventually. He’ll probably tell us the demon is somewhere across the country and that will be the end of it”

“You sound way too confident for someone who almost lost his mind when he saw the ghoul for the first time!”

“I had never seen a ghoul before, okay!”

“This is what I’m talking about guys! You’re acting like you’re above all of this, but you’re not! No one is above any of this! You should be more open minded about this stuff. There are millions of things that could be happening that lead to this,”

“And they’re irrelevant.”  
Gerard goes, as he continues typing on his phone. Someone else deserved more attention than me apparently.

“They’re real fucking important! You guys are terrible investigators!”

“We don’t get paid for this, y’know”  
He made it very clear.

2

The subway was completely empty.

The outside view was pitch dark.

What seemed to be thousands of seats were all deserted. But the subway kept moving at a full speed. Making strange sounds - sounds that almost sounded like screams coming from the outside of its doors. It felt like the thing was driving me to hell.

When I looked in front of me, the reflection in the subway’s window showed nothing. Just darkness. It was a very strange place indeed. It was getting difficult to stand up, so I went to take a seat in one of the many places available for me.

The subway continued making strange noises. Some creaks, screams and cries all at the same time. The lights would flicker every couple of seconds. It was an intimidating place.

“What are we doing?”  
I asked.

There was no doubt in me that i wasn’t alone. Not at this point. Way too much had happened for me to be so naive. I knew what i was dealing with.

The sounds of steps getting closer reached my ears.

“We’re gonna talk”  
The demon said, as he went to take a seat in front of me.

“What do you want?”

“Your future”

“I don’t like this already”  
Was what i said immediately. Now i wanted to get out of there.

But the subway wouldn’t stop.

“You can have a good future. You only need the right protection”

“From what?”

“Gerard. Me. The world in general”  
It stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t want your protection”

“Your death is imminent. You’re merely a pawn in this, Franklin”  
He rolls his eyes then goes back to me. Already fed up with my attitude.

“Shut up!”

“I can save you, get yourself a good spot in hell. All the luxury stuff”  
He insists with a smile.

“SHUT UP!”

“You can get it easily, you just gotta give me your soul, Franklin!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE YOU MONSTER!!”  
I shouted, but there was no echo. Most of it got lost in the sounds of the subway.

The machine seemed to be going at the speed of light. It knocked me down from my seat and left me hanging on to a different one for dear life. The sounds were getting louder and louder. They messed with my ears to the point i could feel blood coming out of them. My heart was pounding so fast i was scared to get a damn heart attack.

“You and Gerard can be together, forever”

“SHUT UP!!!!!! DON’T FUCKIN SAY HIS NAME!!! I HATE YOU!””  
I yelled, but i knew it wasn’t gonna do anything.

But it hurt. Hearing that awful thing saying Gerard’s name bother me to no end. It brought me so much rage. He didn’t even deserve to speak of Gerard out loud.

“Together, forever.”  
He repeated. The voice was so loud and clear.

“STOP!”

“Two souls, and one keeper”  
He explained, making my entire body shiver in fear.

“I DON’T WANT IT!”  
I insisted again, but the demon wasn’t gonna stop so easily.

“Two souls, and one keeper”  
He repeats.

Two souls, and one keeper

_Two souls, and one keeper. Two souls and one keeper. Two souls, and one keeper._

_Satan._

3

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

I woke up in cold sweat, almost falling down from my bed.

Just a nightmare. A really bad nightmare.

It didn’t mean anything. It was from all the stress. It couldn’t mean anything! The demon said it didn’t want my soul! Did it fuckin lie? WHY? Why on earth’s name would I get into this? Why?

I needed some water. Some water. Something to wake me up. Something to make me forget the dream as soon as possible.

As i ran towards my bathroom i couldn’t shake away a strange sensation. The feeling that something was still watching me. It was dominant. There was no other way to describe it. It felt like every inch of me was being put in a magnifying glass by god knows what. It couldn’t be Bob anymore.

The lights in the bathroom seemed more deemed than usual, but i tried not to focus on it. I needed to stay calm even if it seemed impossible. I opened the faucet and drank some water straight from my hands. Then i threw water all over my face, hoping it would wake me up. It was fuckin’ cold. But i needed to be the most awake as possible.

And then.

I looked up into the mirror.

Someone had written in blood red:

TWO SOULS  
AND  
ONE KEEPER.

It made me nearly faint. Quickly i erased it with water, but seeing the mirror covered in blood wasn’t a friendly view either. It was too much. I couldn’t stay alone in the house any longer. It was a damn death trap. Something was trying to get to me. And it was working.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the last number on my list. The line rang three times. Then his soothing voice finally greeted me.

“Hey, you alright?”  
Was the first thing he asked. Clearly the hour made him know that something was up. People don’t call you in the middle of the morning unless there’s a real reason to. And there was.

“Can you come over?”

“For you? Anytime”

4

Gerard arrived in about thirty minutes.

He wasn’t in his usual attire. He actually wore a clean shirt for once, and it was a motorhead one, so it was even better. He was in skinny jeans instead of his usual sweatpants. He had a belt with a bat in the middle, because of course he would buy that. And for the first time since i met him, he was wearing _cologne_

I don’t think he understood what was happening.

I kind of felt like an ass, wearing my stupid pajama pants and a loose hoodie. _Great job idiot, now you look as dumb as you are_. It was a little embarrassing for me. But at the same time, I never said we were doing something...

Our conversation over the phone was maybe too vague for our own good…

I think he had gotten the message a little bit wrong. Very, very, very wrong.

“Hey”

“You- You look amazing”

“Thanks, so do you”

“No, i look like an idiot who just crawled out of bed and called you. Because I am”

“You look fine”

There was something in his face.

Yeah, he was realizing he got the message wrong. This wasn’t that type of _appointment_. It was more of a “please let’s cuddle together so that i can get some damn sleep cause your body feels way too good around me” type of thing. Maybe i should have specified before.

But it was still very amusing.

I didn’t mind this Gerard at all.

“So…”

“Do you mind if we just… sleep?”  
To be fair, i was tired. I knew i sounded stupid. But i was so god damn tired. I didn’t care if i wasn’t charming or seductive at the moment. I wanted to fuckin sleep.

“Uh?”

“Okay that was fuckin dumb, forget i said that”

“No, it’s fine! I just didn’t think-”

“I can tell”  
I teased him, looking at his belt buckle in amusement. This is what Gerard considered “take me I’m yours” clothes. A bat belt. Jesus Christ… It made me smile. It was so freaking Gerard.

“Well you said we could hang out and i thought-”  
He looks at the ground for answers but there weren’t any.

Both of us were now looking at the ground awkwardly, not knowing what we were supposed to do next. It was really late in the morning and we were in completely different planets. He had come over for lust and what not. And I had waited for him just for the company of someone I trusted.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”  
I tried to give him a smirk and rubbed his shoulder softly.

“You don’t have to!” He put my arm away from him “Sleeping is fine too”

He was smiling, but I could tell he was still a little disappointed with what was happening. He did not shower for a damn nap, did he? He wanted something else.

“But you’re nocturnal”  
I said, still smirking.

“For you i can be whatever you like”

“Well, tonight you’re gonna be a little spoon”

5

Waking up next to Gerard was perfect. I felt safe. I felt cared for. I didn’t need to worry about anything when i was with him. He was bigger than any monster under my bed. There was something so special about him. I wanted to have him around my arms forever and ever.

But i couldn’t.

For two reasons.

First being, I was a liar. They were gonna find out eventually and kick me into the curve. Probably kill me. I was not worthy of being with him. I was an idiot who got involved in what he shouldn’t have. Even if Gerard felt something for me at the time, he was not going to feel the same way once he knew the truth. All of this was going to be over in a few strings of words.

Second reason being: Because of course my phone started ringing at 10 am. And it wouldn’t shut the fuck up till i got up and answered. Whoever it was, thought they were really important for some reason. And they would not leave me alone.

We had slept 5 hours, which was pretty good, I’d say. More than i had been sleeping lately. But i still could go for another nap. If i was with Gerard, I didn’t want to get up from bed at all ever.

“What do you want?”  
Was how i greeted the person on the other line.

“Hey! Its Matt,”

Fuck.

“You haven’t really been responsive in weeks and it’s kind of a problem for the band, you know. Since you’re the singer, and songwriter, and guitarist and all…”

“I know, i know”  
I tried to whisper as low as possible, hoping i wouldn’t wake Gerard up.

“And we’re getting a lot of new opportunities. When was the last time you checked your email? Or your texts? We’ve been invited to a lot of cool places and you kinda have us tied up here”

“I know, I’m sorry. But I’ve been busy.”  
I said.

“With what?”

“I don’t know. I’m not good...mentally right now”  
At least i wasn’t lying there at all.

My mind was indeed a mess that needed some time. But it wasn’t gonna be fixed with some words of encouragement. I needed a lot more than that. Maybe a padded room with white walls and an electroshock machine. That seemed appropriate considering the situation I was living in.

“Do you want to talk about it”

“Over the phone, no.”

In real life, neither.

“Then let’s meet”

“I can’t right now”  
I emphasized the cant as much as possible, wanting to go the fuck back to sleep.

There was silence in the line. neither of us knowing how to continue the conversation.

“Frank, I’m calling cause there’s something big that we should talk about.” He then said, “There’s this guy from a really big record level and he’s obsessed with us!”

I don’t know why, but the image of the demon popped immediately in my head. It was crystal clear. An intrusive thought i couldn’t fucking get out. An image of the thing _smiling_ at me. It made my entire body shake in fear. It was so disgusting to think about that thing.

“We’ve gone to a few interviews with him already without you. Dude, he takes us to the coolest places and pays for crazy expensive stuff.

The image stayed in my head. It made me want to gauge my eyes out. It was so vivid all over again. That smile. Those jet-black eyes staring deeply into me. That smile filled with empty promises that meant absolutely nothing.

It was a nightmare. Life was a fucking nightmare. It constantly reminded me of it. Everything was so wrong. There was no way to fix things. Ever. Not even Gerard could keep me safe from what I had done. Nothing could.

Two souls, and one keeper.

6

As expected, Gerard didn’t wake up till two in the afternoon. And also, as expected, he asked for coffee before even saying _Good Morning_. And that’s why i liked the guy. Cause that’s exactly how I worked too.

There’s something about someone understanding _you_. Not just being like _you_ but actually getting _you_. In the short time that I had met Gerard I felt like him and I seemed to be so connected, in ways that I couldn’t even describe. It wasn’t just the coffee and the dates in the middle of the night. There was something about him that fit perfectly with who I was.

“This is nice”

“Yeah, it’s good to have you all for myself. Without Mikey and mom yelling and nagging about stuff”

All I did was smile at his comment. Then silence. But a good silence. One that’s warm and cozy. Where you feel safe with each other. And you don’t mind getting into it. Where things are just right when you’re together, even if you’re not speaking.

“Can i ask you something?”  
He suddenly goes.

“Sure”

“When you called last night it sounded like you were desperate to see me. What happened?”  
Gerard looks at me with caution, a little scared to hear my answer.

“It’s real fuckin stupid”

“C’mon. I was the one who was stupid last night.”

“No you have no idea, seriously.” He seemed to be more alarmed now, so I said it before he insisted more “I- I had a bad dream so i called you.”  
It was even dumber hearing me saying it out loud.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I didn’t feel safe in my house alone so i called you”

“Okay that is pretty funny”  
He smiles at me with relief.

“Fuck off. I’m not the one who thought was getting laid”  
I teased, knowing it was gonna get a reaction out of him.

“I mean, it was five am!”  
He shouts nervously at me. It was adorable.

“You wanted it, didn’t you?”  
I tease again, but this time with a different intention than before. Wanting it to lead to something even better.

His entire face goes red. As expected too. It was so fun to have him on edge like that. It reminded me of why I liked him so much. He was everything I liked in a man. In a human being even. IN LIFE, EVEN.

“W-Well, i thought we were in better terms so…”

“You’re blushing”

“I’m not”  
He covered his face with the mug. Cause the guy was absolutely blushing.

“Yes, you are! Cause you’re so fuckin’ cute”

“God, you make me feel so—” He stopped and started shaking his head before finally going “I can’t even say it. Like, when I’m with you i feel like I’m gonna explode at any second.”

Whatever the fuck that meant.

“In a good way?”

“The best way! ITs like every time i even look at you i get this feeling in my chest like _I’m not sure i can handle this anymore_.”

“Like you’re in love”  
I said, without really thinking about it.

Then I realized…

“Yeah, like that. Even just drinking coffee next to you feels like the best thing ever. Cause it’s you…”

“And its coffee”

“Of course”

“I haven’t felt like this in such a long time.” He grabbed my hands and got closer to me on the table “I really really really don’t wanna lose you”

“Do you think I’m in danger?”

My mind went back to the dream i had.

He almost chocked on his coffee. He coughed a few times then cleared his throat. He seemed very uncomfortable now that we have reached that subject. It was clearly something that had been in his mind before.

“...Yeah”  
He was dead serious when he said this.

It changed the mood of the room for a bit. It was a grim thought, but both of us had it in our heads. There was no point in denying it.

I wanted to keep ignoring that. I wanted to get back to the good times. With the coffee and with _him_. So i held his hand tighter and smiled at him, trying to calm him down. To keep him happy.

“But you’re gonna keep me safe. And I’m gonna keep making you feel things you need to feel”

He blushed again.

“I promise that”

“And I promise that”

I leaned in closer and placed my lips next to his. Where they seemed to belong. I softly caressed his cheek as he moaned into my mouth. He wanted something else. MORE. My mind said, MORE.

“You looked amazing last night. If i wasn’t so damn asleep i would have given you exactly what you needed.”

He moaned just from hearing that.

“You know what you need, don’t you?”

“A good fuck and a cigarette”

“You’re in luck, cause i have both”

He laughed but his cheeks were burning all over again.

“Tell me you want it”  
I pulled his hair tightly.

“I want it so fuckin bad, Frank. You have no idea how much i need you”

We kissed again, but this time with more passion than before. I ran my hands all over his long dark hair and our tongues played with each other. Gerard would at moments bite my lip really hard, trying to tell me something with his body alone. _He wanted more._. And so, did i.

He got up from his seat and got on top of me. I grabbed and held his beautiful hips, keeping my baby in place. We kissed each other desperately, as Gerard kept moaning into my mouth. We were so close, but it wasn’t enough yet. We needed more and more and more.

Gerard moved his hips against mine, hoping for some delicious friction. And Jesus, it felt good. Even with his jeans on, it felt good. But things were gonna get even better once his clothes were off. I couldn’t wait to feel his soft skin against mine all over again. It was all I needed too.

“You want it so badly, don’t you baby?”

“YES!”  
He pushes his hips against mine even harder, begging to feel more.

“You want me to take you upstairs, honey?”  
I grabbed his behind with my hands, feeling his ass through his jeans. God. That was mine. That was all fuckin’ mine. Everything was perfect.

“Please, Frank!! I’ll be so good!! Please take me! I need it!”  
God, I loved it when he whined and whined like a little brat. My grip on him became tighter and he moaned again, loving the feeling.

He looked perfect. I couldn’t even react for a second. Everything about him was so goddamn beautiful. I didn’t even know what to do next. I wanted to kiss every single inch of his body, but I didn’t even know where to start.

“I love you”

It seemed fair, in my insane mind. He had basically said he loved me. So, I wasn’t going to beat around the bush any longer. I was just gonna say it because my chest wanted me to do it. Even if it was fucking stupid. Even if it wasn’t the right time. Even if maybe Gerard didn’t feel the same.

Gerard didn’t answer.

He kissed me. And this time he went as slowly as possible against my lips, wanting to cherish every single thing about them. It felt so good. I didn’t even need an answer. I had it right in front of me. Even if it was a shy boy who liked kisses more than words.

Then the phone started ringing.

I tried to pull his shirt up, but he stopped me.

“Answer”

“No!”  
I yelled, trying to pull the shirt up again. He stopped me again, smirking.

“Answer. I always answer, like you said I should”

“Fine!”

The phone said Ray was on the other line. It made want to answer even less for some reason. “The gang” was no more. I wanted to be as far away as possible from my friends. There was not even a reason. I just didn’t want them to know how I was doing. I didn’t want to get them involved into any of the supernatural crap either. I was no good to them anymore.

Maybe I was starting to get Gerard…

“Frank! Hi! “

“YES?!”

“The whole band is in appointment in New York, and i really think you should come. This place is amazing! They have dancers and food and--”  
For whatever reason he thought I’d be interested in what he was up to, but I really wasn’t.

“I got something even better right here”

“Uh? OH! He wants to talk to you! Here he is!”

“Franklin.” Fuck. No. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Nooo. It was the voice from my nightmare. The voice that promised me so many things and brought me nothing but hell. It was that demon again. “I’m having this great party with all your gang here. Think you should come. Maybe you could bring that friend of yours, Gerard, too.”

The phone call ended.

NOOOO.

It couldn’t be. My friends. All my friends were next to that evil thing. And I was in my house, hiding with the only person that could save them. What the hell was the matter with me.

“Gerard, we need to get to New York.”  
Was the next thing I said, as Gerard was pulling his shirt up for me. But it wasn’t the time…

“But-”

“Please, please you have to help me”  
Tears were forming in my eyes already. I couldn’t hold it any longer. I was absolutely defeated. I didn’t want to deal with it any longer. Not alone. Not anymore. I needed someone to know. Even if it was gonna be the end of me.

“What?”

“I think i fucked everything up.”

_Two souls, and one keeper._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. did anyone miss me... what else should i update idk
> 
> also i might edit this chapter later i just want to get something posted.

1  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? No, seriously, what in the living fuck is that supposed to mean?”

I wasn’t sure where to even start honestly. He got up, and looked visibly angry. He was already suspicious that I had done something bad. I was just confirming it for him. And it was not a good feeling.

“Can we get to New York fist?”

“No way in fuckin hell!” He pointed a finger at me, making me feel even more guilt than I already did. “I’m not fucking helping you unless you explain what’s up.”

 _No Way in fuckin hell_. The words bounced in my brain. Than it went back to the familiar _Two souls, and one keeper_. It drove me nuts. It was drilled into my brain. It wouldn’t get out of my skull. That fucking dickhead was never going to let me forget it. Not until I got him what he wanted.

“I- I I’ve made some bad choices”  
Was all I said, looking at the ground in shame.

“How bad?”

“ _I worry you’re gonna kill me_ levels of bad”

“What did you do?!”

“Can we at least finish our coffee? We were having a good time and-”

“This is not okay, Frank. I’ve known something weird is happening ever since you brought that _thing_ ” He said in disgust, referring to Bob’s undead corpse “to my house”

It was too much to deal with. I couldn’t even look at him anymore. My eyes were glued to the ground as i finally spoke to him:

“I- I saw it”

“Saw what?”

“T-The demon. I saw it. It’s real. It’s here.” W-We spoke together” Gerard was deadly silent “And something happened. I don’t know what to say. I was drunk, and angry, and stupid...And something happened”

“What exactly?”

“We talked. He said we could make a deal. He was gonna make good things happen to me. And all i had to do was do him a favour”

“What was it?”

“You”  
I looked straight into his eyes with shame.

“Frank…”

“He wanted to get to you. And I was stupid-”  
Was how I continued.

“Frank…”

“And now he has all my friends around him and if we don’t go…”  
I said, interrupting him again before he could finish his sentence.

Cause I did not want to hear his sentence. Whatsoever.

“Frank you’re leading him to me, you realize that right?!”

“But if we don’t go…”  
I insisted.

“Frank...I can’t do it”

“But if we don’t go!”  
I was getting heated now.

“If i go he’s gonna know you’re not disposable! Do you have any idea what that gets you? Even if i go there and with some miracle i save your friends. Do you have any clue where that gets you? Every fucking beast in town is gonna know i care about you enough to deal with a demon. You’re gonna be bait.”

Gerard seemed awfully tense, but I was even angrier.

“I’m already bait! I don’t care”

“They’re gonna take you from me, Frank!”

“They’re gonna kill my friends!”

“FRANK, I DON’T CARE”  
He yelled, without a single trace of regret in his eyes. He wasn’t budging. He was done. Nothing that came out of my mouth was gonna change his mind. He was over the entire thing.

“What’s the matter with you?!” There were tears forming in my eyes already “I can’t believe this. You’re a coward!”

“You betrayed us! And you still want help?”  
He was getting angrier...

“I need you! You know I need you!”

“I CAN’T DO THIS OKAY!” He held me by my shoulders and squeezed me as if he was trying to get me to wake up “It's too dangerous, for the both of us. You don’t get this but I do! They’re gonna get you Frank, if I do this, it's gonna be the end. You will never have a moment of peace again”

“You think my life is ever peaceful? This is already my life, Gerard. I don’t care how deep i get into this. If it's with you, I don’t fuckin’ care”

More tears and more tears. Gerard merely sighs.

“I can’t do this to you. I’m sorry”

“But”

“Frank, you made a pact with a demon. You’re already in huge trouble. We need to take you to a priest and-”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re cursed! And you have no idea what you’re asking me to do! You’re asking for a life of this! You don’t want any of this!”

“Then what am i supposed to do? Let my friends die?”

“It's the way it goes sometimes in this business”  
He says without a hint of mercy.

“I need you”  
I begged him one more time, hoping it was going to be my last.

“I can’t do this. Not to you”

“I’m leaving with or without you!”  
I yelled across the room.

“Frank. Understand what's gonna happen. I’m not gonna help you with this. And if you go to New York alone, you’re gonna die”

“At least the whole gang’s gonna be together”

“Frank, you’re gonna die!”  
He screamed one more time, hoping it would change my mind.

But my mind was made up.

“Goodbye”

2

The ride on the train felt like i was on a dream again. The people felt like ghosts around me. Nothing felt real anymore. Everything seemed to be so far away. I was not on earth. I was somewhere else, deep into my thoughts.

Was I truly cursed? If I died, what was gonna happen?

Did it matter?

No.

Gerard was no hero. But I was going to be one. Even if I died trying. Maybe it was all meant to happen that way.

That’s why I had survived so many wild things. To die with my friends. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Did it matter? 

No.

Was all of it worth it? Letting Gerard go for my old friends? Was it truly worth it? 

No.

But the train was not going to stop. Was it?

3

There was something that lead me there. Something hiding in my mind. Something dark that did not belong there.

Something that did not belong on earth.

It was a grim voice telling me which street to take, which floor to go on, which door was the right door.

The same voice that had been haunting me with

“Two souls, one keeper”

The same voice that needed to go back to hell.

It lead me to a huge apartment complex. There, I was told to search for room 66. 

I didn't question it. 

4

He had a glass of wine on his hand, and seemed to be waiting for me.

“Franklin. Come here, grab a glass!”  
The thing said smiling at me as if we were long time friends. I started running towards him, ready to punch him on the spot.

“You fuckin’ monster!”

“Calm down, would you? Sit down”  
He made my heart start aching again, and I could tell that if he didn’t stop soon I was going to die.

“F-f-fine!”

The pressure on my chest stopped. I looked around the room and found a place to sit down. Whatever that thing wanted.

“We’re all having a good time here, okay? Grab something to eat if you want”  
He continued, completely relaxed with the situation.

“I don’t want food, okay? I want YOU away from my friends.”

“It can be done. But there's another friend of yours I need to meet first”

“He’s not coming! Gerard’s not coming, okay?! So you can have at it already and kill me or turn me or whatever the hell you want. I failed. I couldn’t bring him to you. My part of the deal is broken. Do whatever you want!”

I was shouting and shouting but my friends were not reacting. They seemed to be in some sort of shock. They were completely still. As if they were frozen. It was better if they didn’t know what was happening though. They did not deserve to live through the shit I was going to have to live through.

“Our deal is still on”

“Well, break it! I couldn’t do it! He’s not coming! He doesn’t care about me as much as you thought he did.”

I yelled, filled with so much rage I spit out.

“You’re adorable.”  
He chuckled.

“KILL ME! GET IT OVER WITH!”

He laughed. Loudly. So much it echoed the entire room.

“There's no need for all of that. Franklin, you’ve done everything i needed from you.”

“I’ve failed everybody. What are you talking about?”

“Oh Franklin, you’re a riot”

Finally I stopped to really listen to him.

And grabbed a glass of wine that was near me. I took the drink in a rush.

I understood. Oh, i understood now.

5

The door opened with a bang.

“Frank! I’m here!”

“Sadly”  
Mikey responded

“Now that's just wonderful”

I finished my drink.

The lights of the room started to dim. The creature was smiling, proud at his achievement.

The creature wanted Gerard. There was something about him that was different and powerful. Something that had kept him alive fighting monster through all of these years. Something very very strong. Everyone else involved in the story was a pawn. We were all just in it to help him get to Gerard. Gerard was the grand prize. The frozen people, me, Mikey, we all meant nothing.

“You’re mine now”

Whenever the creature had tried to induce me a heart attack, he had no problem at all in doing so. But Gerard hadn’t moved an inch. Whatever trick the demon had done didn’t work. Gerard was still walking without a worry. He needed to try something else.

“NEVER!”  
Gerard yelled with determination.

“What do you want from us?”  
Mikey asked the creature. The two brothers were walking towards me and looking around the room in disbelief.

“His mind, his body and soul. I’ll see what i can get to first”  
The creature smiled again.

“AhhH!” Gerard started touching the temple of his head, seemingly in pain. He was sweating “FUCK OFF!”

“You can’t escape from me. You’re gonna be mine”

The creature said before a chuckle. 

“NEVER”

Blood started pouring from his nose. It came in rivers and flowed all over his clothes. He was drenched in red. It was a tragic sight. The demon had no signs of being hurt in the slightest. But Gerard seemed like he was very much losing a fight. That could not be a good sign.

“Why are you here? For them? They don’t care about you. I might not be able to get to your mind yet. But i can read theirs. They don’t love you. No one loves you Gerard”

The creature told Gerard. There was so much cruelty in the way he said it, it sent shivers down my spine. It was so god damn evil.

“I WON’T LET YOU IN!

“Frank doesn’t love you, he never has”

I wanted to say something, but a force stopped me from doing so. But I so wanted to say something. I wanted to help them too. But I was useless. They were right. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with supernatural things ever. All I was going to do was get myself killed. And maybe the Way brothers in the process... why was i so fuckin useless.

“You’re just trying to play mind games and i won’t fall for it!!”

“And Mikey, what kind of brother would let you fall into such an obvious trap? One who doesn’t care about his older brother”

“I LOVE MY BROTHER, NOTHING YOU SAY WILL CHANGE THAT. I WON’T LET YOU IN!”

There was a pool of blood surrounding Gerard now. Not even 10 minutes had gone by and he already seemed like he was going to faint at any second now. Things weren’t looking good at all for us. I shouldn't have brought him here. It was gonna kill him. The demon was gonna kill him and everyone in the room. All because of me and too many beers. Everything was my fault.

“You don’t deserve a brother like that Gerard! Better yet, I’ll help you with that”  
The creature said before causing more mischief.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”  
Mikey started grabbing his chest very tightly. I could tell what was happening: because it had happened to me before.That was no good.

“I’LL PROTECT YOU, MIKEY!”

Mikey was still holding onto his chest, but he wasn’t collapsing. Or worse, dying. So that was good. Gerard was putting some sort of control over him too. The way the demon was doing to him. So know he wasn't only protecting himself, he was also protecting Mikey from the demon’s forces. Whatever he was doing, seemed to take a lot of effort from him. Because he yelled in pain as he did so.

And I was sitting down like an idiot, unable to do anything more than watch this all go down.

“I WON’T LET YOU IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!”  
Gerard kept screaming.

He got in his knees from all the pain he was in. But he still wasn't giving up. He was very much going to fight through the whole thing. Even if it sent him straight to his grave. He was going to try to save us. Even if it meant giving himself away. 

I didn't know what to do. The creature watched Gerard and smiled, knowing he was winning.

So for the first time in years, I did the unthinkable.

I prayed.

I got on my knees, put my hands together and prayed quietly for things to be okay for us. Because it was the only thing that was left for me to do. Only god himself could help us now.

6

The demon laughed and laughed at me.

"Seriously? You think that's enough kid? An atheist prayer? Frank, i tell ya, you're a fucking riot!"

It made me want to cry. I couldn’t stand it anymore. It was not fair seeing everything go down like that. At least I was doing something. When I finished my prayer I looked at Gerard again, hoping that maybe, just maybe, things were doing fine. That some miracle had happened.

And all i saw was Gerard starting to cough up his own blood. He needed to stop. Quickly. Or he was going die in front of us.

“Gerard, let go!” My voice seemed to finally be free “Please let Mikey go! If you don’t stop this, you’re gonna die”

“I’m n-n-n-never letting go”

He said, before throwing up more blood into himself. He needed medical help immediately. And to stay as far away from that monster as possible.

“Gerard, its gonna kill you! Let Mikey go!”  
I repeated myself.

“Gerard…” Mikey started, about to say something similar to what i was.

“NEVER! I WON’T LET HIM IN! AND I WON’T LET HIM HURT YOU!”

“You can do this anymore, it's killing you, Gerard. Please!”  
Mikey yelled, agreeing with me.

They were both so loyal to each other, they were willing to die for each other. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, truly. Neither of them wanted to let the other brother go. They were so connected. I couldn't believe it. 

Gerard fell into the floor. And Mikey started getting weaker too. It was over. We were gonna lose. We were all gonna die. Everyone in the room was gonna fuckin die and there was nothing to do. The demon was gonna take Gerard’s soul and mine and mikeys and my friends and we were all going to end up somewhere in hell. Getting tortured for the rest of god damn eternity. It was done. 

“I love you, Frank”  
He said, in nothing but a whisper.

I ran and ran towards his pale, fragile body and kissed him. The taste of copper got all over my mouth.But it was worth it. I needed to feel his lips one more last time. I kissed him again, feeling my entire face getting drenched in his blood. I didn't care. I was gonna die with the man I loved. It was the last wish I could ask for. Gerard in my arms one final time.

Gerard had collapsed on the floor and was still bleeding all over himself. I hugged his limp body, wanting to stay his last few minutes with him. While he was still warm. I started petting his hair. All as the demon laughed and laughed at us.

“Frank…. Frank you were right”

“About what”

“The prayer”

Then he started whispering words i couldn’t understand. But i knew what it was. It was latin. He was doing a prayer in latin. It was so quiet. But so fuckin’ powerful. Cause that abomination seemed to be afraid of it. It was shaking right in front of us. It was finally looking afraid.

“Stop it!”  
The demon shouted.

But Gerard didn’t stop. He whispered and whispered those healing words for us.

There was a strange scent in the room. The scent that something was burning.

Someone.

The fire started in the demons fingers. Then it expanded. And expanded. And expanded. It became a blinding light. But Gerard didn’t stop. He finished the prayer till the very end. The demon yelled and yelled. His body kept burning. Every inch of him was being consumed by the flames. The thing screamed and screamed in pain and agony. Till he himself was nothing but hot fire. And from fire, he turned straight to dust after one final shout. Lots and lots of dust. Covering all over the room.

Once it settled, everyone who was frozen started to move again.

“I love you”  
I said back finally. Holding him tightly against my chest. Both of us covered in his blood. Both of us ready to go home.

Gerard passed out in my arms.


	6. Scorpion tattoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls leave a comment if u liked it it means the world to me ;-;
> 
> Just in time for valentines day! WELLITSOVER.JPG I hope you guys enjoyed this sequel. Maybe this halloween i could turn it into a trilogy but i might start a new project entirely? Who knows. im sorry i took so long. lot happened in my personal life (good things, mostly). But if u guys want me to keep writing i will…

No sight of Gerard for an entire week. As far as I knew, he spent some days at the hospital. But, the nurses insisted, I was not allowed to see him. No matter how many times I tried showing up with flowers and chocolates. They always ended up in the dumpster. And I was always told to go home. Or that security would come. No matter how much I begged outside the building. They would not let me in. There was a special request from the family members, that said no one outside of the family could visit. I knew it was cause of me. It had to be. That's why it hurt.

Because Michael would walk pass me as if I wasn’t even there at all. He did not want me anywhere near his dear brother. No matter how much I tried talking to him. He would continue to ignore me day through day. My begging got me nowhere. Mikey was done with me. Like we were never friends. Like we were nothing. It made my chest ache.

After the first week, my hope in seeing him was starting to fade. I didn’t think I would get to visit Gerard ever. Plus, there was always the possibility he did not want to see me anyway. So I just stopped going entirely.

But of course, I got a text message on my phone on day eight.

It simply read:

**God i miss u.**

Long time later I found out, he had seen me from his hospital window. Day after day. I don’t know why he waited so long to send me a text. But it didn’t matter. I was more than happy now that he had. We could talk it out...Eventually....

For the time being, all I sent was.

**Miss U too. I wanna see U ASAP**

No responses after that. Perhaps things were still too fresh. Perhaps it was too desperate. Perhaps Mikey had taken his phone away. I could not tell. But I did not come back to the hospital. Not till I got a response.

But I didn’t get a response.

And time just sort of kept going. This time around, it wasn’t painful. I had other things to fix. Calling my family, calling my friends, making sure everyone that i loved was okay. And I loved Gerard… But if he didn’t want to see me, that was fine. There were people who did.

My first phone call was with Ray. It was four hours long ago. And god, I had missed having friends.

2

The band was certainly not as successful as we had been. We still had some hardcore fans, but we were back to playing small bars. Places weren’t packed anymore. People didn’t want to marry me. There weren’t teenage girls getting tattoos of my autograph. Things were back to normal. Grimy, lame, and boring normal. We were irrelevant again. And it felt fucking great. Theres magic in being a loser, I have to admit.

We didn’t have to babysit no kids anymore. We were back to our usual crowds. Things were good that way. Now I realized I wouldn’t change them for anything else in the world. I loved my dumb irrelevant ass band. It was useless. Made hardly any money. And we sounded terrible on most nights.

But I was happy. I truly was.  
  
And wasn't that what mattered anyway? Sure, I needed to have a real job on the side. And we were never going to be on the shitty magazines (again...). And my mother thought it was a waste of time. But i liked my silly waste of time the way it was.

The thing that made me realize my life was exactly where it was supposed to be… was when I saw that familiar face in the crowd. The kid who survived everything. He was wearing a leather jacket and waiting for me. As if nothing had happened. Bulletproof motherfucker, as always. And wearing eyeliner, because of course he was. That goddamn idiot had finally appeared again.

I smiled every time I saw him. He was always going to be there. Wasn’t he? I couldn’t imagine my life being any different. And I did not want it to be.

3

“You guys are terrible”  
The man said jokingly, making his way across the bar.

He looked so good. You wouldn’t think less than a month ago he had almost bleed to death. Or that he had been released from the hospital only two days before.

“So I’ve heard,”  
Was my response, offering him a seat next to me.

“Specially the singer. Motherfucker should not sing ever”

He asked for a drink after that. The bartender gave it to him almost immediately. It was a slow night at the bar. My favorite kind of nights. The ones where people talk their hearts out to each other with a beer bottle in their hands.

“He is kinda whiny, uh?”

“The worst”

We both laughed.

“I’m so glad to see you.” Was all I could say at first “How did you find out about this? It doesn’t seem like your scene.”

“It’s not.” He laughed, as if the idea was revolting. “But I saw a flyer and I recognized the guy with the scorpion tattoo. It had to be you.”

“It’s not really a rare tattoo though. You could have ended up watching some shitty local band over nothing.”

I smiled as I said it, thinking that would have been hysterical. God, I almost wish it had happened that way.

“But it had to be you. Because it just had to”

There was no doubt in his face.

We are connected now. The way I’m part of the supernatural world. Gerard and I are always going to be connected somehow. It made sense in my head. This lifestyle makes you part ways with normal forever. But you make friends with weirdos forever.

“I’ve missed you”

“Missed you too”

“They wouldn’t let me see you...”  
I started, hoping to get some explanations.

“Yeah, Mikey’s still pretty pissed about what happened”

“We survived!”

“Yeah, but it was a lot of risk involved. Things should have never gotten so far.”

“But we survived”

“Barely..:”  
Gerard took a drink.

“Are you mad about what happened too?”

“I don’t know…” He stared at his glass as if it had the answers “I do regret letting you go. Part of me knew i’d end up running behind you… But still… I should have never let you go in the first place. It was stupid of me”

“Nothing was gonna stop me”

“I should have tried harder. I just know I should have”  
Another drink.

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble...again”

“Well, I’m getting used to it now”

“Good, cause i'm planning to stick around”

There was something special about the smile he gave me then. It was full of hope. It was fulll of life. It made me so happy to b with him.

“i don't think you realize how much I wanted you to say that. Things are so much better when you're around.”

“You just want to get in these pants”  
I joked around, trying to make things more light hearted

“That too”  
He then started giggling like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. And he was blushing. Pretty badly. His entire face had gone a dark red.

He was nervous. Visibly nervous. As if he was still a teenager. Even though he's older me, there's something about him that makes me feel so young. Like we’re 16 again and everything he does make me fall for him a little more.

 

4

“God, I need it so badly”

“What do you need?”

“i need YOU”

He was completely naked. Just waiting for Frank to take the next step.

But it was fun. Frank felt like he could stay like that forever. Looking at Gerard gorgeous face blushing, and how his body waited for him. He was so hard it was painful, but he could ignore it. Teasing Gerard was something special.

The only thing he was wearing was a collar around his neck. Truth to be told, I had never seen one of those in real life. Only in the sites I browsed when no one was around. So when he found the collar in one of his drawer, I was shocked. He told me to put it on him and it made me feel so many things at once.

Mostly, lust.

Just Gerard. And a beautiful collar that read “LOVED” on its side.

There was nothing more I could as for in life.

For the first time in a long time, I was happy. Everything I needed was right there all along. My shitty band made me happy. Talking to my family again made me happy. Seeing my old friends again made me happy. And more than anything, Gerard made me so god damn happy.

“Please fuck me.” He was on his knees saying “Please fuck me.”

I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the entire world.

“Speak louder, bitch”  
Was my response, before slapping him so hard it left a mark on his cheek.

“PLEASE FUCK ME!”

Not a single thing in the world.

“I need you so badly, PLEASE!”

He said the doctor told him he had to be careful. Or maybe he told him to wait a little more time before having sex. Who knows.

The thing I know is that he needed to put a bunch of pillows around his back. That he couldn’t move too much or he cried from the pain. And that he couldn’t open his legs very well. When I tried to spread them a little more, he cried again.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?”  
I broke character completely.

“Yes, i’m telling you doc said it was fine”

Didn’t sound fine…  
“Safeword?”

“Halloween”

“That’s the dumbest- Alright, fine. Halloween then”

Didn’t hear that word again for the rest of the night.

5

The first few inches were tough. He felt so warm and perfect around me. But he wouldn’t stop screaming. He grabbed my chest and left me marks with his fingernails. It was hurting him badly.

“MORE!” I didn’t want to move. He wasn’t ready “PLEASE, MORE”

“No”

“I fuckin’” He was choking on his own words “I fuckin need MORE”  
He left more marks on my chests.

A little more.

“Ah!!”

And he opened his mouth so wide I could tell he was questioning what he had asked for. He scratched me so hard it drew blood. And I didn’t mind. He had learned his lesson. He stopped for a moment and started getting used to the feeling. To me.

A few moments passed, with Gerard letting himself rest on the pillows as he closed his eyes. He stopped the cries… Eventually.

“More, I need more”  
He demanded. But I was not gonna give in like that. I grabbed him by his hair tightly and kissed him. Our tongues met for a while before stopping.

“Is that what you want, you fucking whore?”

“YES, PLEASE”

“Why should I give it to you?”

“Cause i'm gonna be a good girl. And i’m gonna fuckin’ take it.”

“You sure?”

“YES!”

I buried myself deeply into him. He let out a long cry, but didn’t ask me to stop. He was gonna take it like he had promised. Even if it hurt like hell. He would cry against the pillow and just take it. His mascara and eyeliner were all over his face.

His body was finally giving in into mine.

“Fuck me” I was in doubt for a few seconds “Please fuck me, I need it”

When I did start to move I was gentle. As gentle as humanly possible. It didn’t matter how good it felt to be against him. I didn’t want to hurt him. My thrusts were slow and deep, and it was all he needed. Obscene sounds echoed through the room.

Gerard moaned against the pillows. He was out of the hospital, but he was still weak and there was only so much he could do. So I kept my slow pace and started petting his hair. He looked so beautiful. His entire face was red and he would keep letting out moan after moan. How his collar was wet from how much he was sweating. I could have stared at him forever.

“I love you”

“I love you”

There was nothing quite like it. We were one.

6

On the first month I got a uniform.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

On the second month I got a knife.

So sharp it could cut send anything to the afterlife.

Fifth month, I got a gun.

Sixth month...

Gerard asked me to marry him.

 

I said yes. Over and over and over again.


	7. FANART

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to drop this here

all done by my amazing gf https://www.instagram.com/lil_ghost19/


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